The Strike of the Vampire Lord
by SK Dark Dragon
Summary: A mysterious phone call from Egypt, and a new villain in the shadows. Will Yugi and the gang survive their next encounter with evil? -COMPLETED- READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!-
1. Chapter One: Holidays

The Evil Strike  
  
Notes: ^_^ Welcome to our new story! The Evil Strike! XD The main villain in this story is a much loathed character, and Yugi and the gang will have to go up against him. But they're going to need all the help they can get if they're going to beat him in time.  
  
"So we don't own YuGiOh, or any of the characters from the manga or anime. We do own our made-up characters since we created them, after all. :P"  
  
Thanks for reading and reviewing if you read our last story, ^-^! and here we go with our first chapter!  
  
***********  
  
Chapter One: Holidays  
  
It was a cold winter's day in Domino Japan, just a week after Christmas. The snow still lingered on the grounds outside every shop and building, and sparkled in the bright sunlight. The holidays had been rather quiet so far for Yugi Motou, since most of his friends were either off visiting family somewhere else or couldn't bring themselves to leave the comfort of their homes to do anything.  
  
Yugi himself, he admitted that afternoon, was enjoying the leisurely atmosphere, of not having any obligations or such and just hanging around the house and Game Shop, dueling his grandfather and talking to the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, Yami.  
  
That particular afternoon, Yugi was lying on his stomach on the couch, flipping through a magazine on cards, Yami perched on the arm of the couch on the other end.  
  
"It's been rather quiet these past few days, hasn't it, Yugi?" he inquired, looking over at his friend.  
  
Yugi nodded with a sigh.  
  
"Yeah..." he agreed. "Joey's off spending the week with Serenity and his mom, Amber and Duke are still in America for the holidays, and even the others are mainly spending time with their families, which is a good thing."  
  
Yami nodded in agreement.  
  
"Indeed," he replied with a nod. "Although I can't help feel as though I'm neglecting something."  
  
Yugi rolled over and looked up at his spiritual friend, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Neglecting something? Like what?" he inquired curiously.  
  
Yami sighed, turning to look out the window to the side of the couch. Yugi sat up, looking concerned.  
  
  
  
"Yami?" he prodded.  
  
"Well," Yami began, closing his eyes. "Lately I've been feeling strange things...as if someone, or something close to me was being attacked, or hurt by an evil force. I always sense evil forces to some degree, but lately...it's been increasing."  
  
Yugi raised an eyebrow.  
  
"But who could you know that was being attacked by evil?" he asked, wondering out-loud.  
  
Yami sighed, shaking his head.  
  
"I don't know, Yugi," he replied honestly. "I don't know."  
  
************  
  
Meanwhile, over at the Kaiba Manor, Seto Kaiba was busy up in his office, typing non-stop on his laptop computer. The Christmas holidays, although peaceful, still didn't give him much of a vacation from working on Kaiba Corporation. The way he saw it was that if he did enough work over the holidays, he wouldn't have so much to do when they were over.  
  
Mokuba Kaiba was upstairs in his room, playing with his new computer game that he'd gotten for Christmas. He didn't mind so much that his older brother spent the mornings working on various things in his office. After all, he thought to himself as he shot another enemy on the screen. He'll probably do something fun with me later today.  
  
Hovering behind the boy was a spirit, his figure bluish-tinged in color, that looked nearly identical to Seto Kaiba himself. Well, he would have looked identical if not for the Egyptian outfit.  
  
"Is the game fun?" he inquired, leaning over the younger Kaiba's shoulder, staring at the screen with interest.  
  
Mokuba nodded, still trying to get past level five, which he'd been stuck on for ages.  
  
"It is..." he murmured, pressing the spacebar several times in a row. "Except when you get stuck on a level...like I am now."  
  
"I see," Priest Seto replied, backing up. "Modern entertainment is so different from what children in my time found amusing."  
  
Mokuba laughed, hitting an enemy right on target.  
  
"That's because you didn't have computers and TV and stuff," he replied. "Yes! Level five has been completed!"  
  
Priest Seto smiled, looking out the window at the snow-covered trees. He hadn't seen the Pharaoh, nor any of his friends since their encounter back at Madam Christina's mansion. It didn't necessarily bother him, but lately he'd been wanting to talk someone to about strange things he'd been sensing.   
  
Several times he'd almost decided to talk to his reincarnate about them, but he stopped himself, knowing that Seto liked to be involved with these sorts of things as little as possible. However...  
  
"What if it's him again?" Priest Seto mused, floating outside and looking down at the snow below him. "If so, then we're in great danger...as is everyone else."  
  
*************  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
Serenity Wheeler tossed a well-packed snowball in her brother's direction, causing it to splatter on the back of his coat. Startled, Joey whirled around to see who had hit him. When he noticed his younger sister, he laughed.  
  
"Guess I ought to pay more attention next time," Joey laughed, scooping up some snow and beginning to mold it. "Nice shot, sis."  
  
Serenity giggled.  
  
"Oniichan," she asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "Did you get hit on purpose?"  
  
Joey shook his head, blushing.  
  
"Nah, I didn't think you'd hit from behind, that's all," he replied honestly, standing up and brushing snow off the back of his jacket. "Man, it's cold out here."  
  
Serenity nodded, shivering.   
  
"Yeah...and my hands are so numb that I can't even hold a snowball anymore," she agreed, turning toward the house. "But I had a lot of fun! Thanks, oniichan."  
  
Joey grinned, tossing his snowball into the neighbor's yard and walking up to join his sister. The two were spending Christmas at their mother's house, and were enjoying their time alone together very much.  
  
"And Tristan's not even here to mess things up," Joey thought to himself with a grin, even though he did miss his friends back in Domino.  
  
"Anytime, Serenity," he replied as the two, snow-covered, walked up toward the house.  
  
************  
  
Over in America, Duke Devlin sighed as he scooped up another ball of snow and added it to his large stash of snowballs he'd been making in Amber's backyard. He's been having a great time with her family and Pearl, her younger cousin. Now, the three of them were outside, enjoying the snowy weather.  
  
"I've got fifteen snowballs!" Pearl yelled from the other side of the yard, waving two in the air. "You better watch out!"  
  
Amber rolled her eyes and added another snowball to her own collection. She had well over thirty snowballs, but decided to humor her younger cousin.  
  
"We will, don't worry," she called back, Duke winking at her.  
  
"Yep!" he added, hoping over his snowball wall and crouching behind it. "Everyone ready?"  
  
Amber nodded, ducking down at well, getting snow on her dark blue sweater and black jeans. Her amber pendant hung down, almost touching the fluffy snow surface as she picked up two of her snowballs.  
  
"Yep!" she called back. "On your mark..."  
  
"...Get set..." Duke continued.  
  
"GO!" Pearl yelled, running forward with two of her snowballs, leaving her fort behind.  
  
Amber grinned, throwing both her snowballs at her cousin, one crashing to the ground before it could even reach Pearl, and the other hitting her in the face. While Amber giggled, Pearl dropped her snowballs to the ground, using both her hands to get the snow off of her face.  
  
Suddenly, a snowball hit Amber, and she looked up to see Duke grinning, tossing three more at her. Narrowing her eyes with a grin, she ducked two and threw one at her friend, but it missed.  
  
After several minutes of snowball throwing, the ammunition had been all used up, and the snowball mounds were gone. Pearl flopped down in the snow, her white hair matching her surrounding environment.  
  
Amber laughed, leaning back on a tree stump as Duke tossed the last of his snowballs at Pearl, but missed.  
  
"Well, that was fun," Duke commented with a grin, looking around.  
  
"But what are we gonna do next?" Pearl whined, rolling over and getting back to her feet.   
  
Her jacket and pants were now covered in the white powder, making her look much like a ghost of some sort. Amber smirked, looking at the sleds that were propped up against her house. Smiling slyly, she hurried over and pulled one off the wall.  
  
"Anyone up for sledding?" she asked with a grin, the other two nodding eagerly.  
  
*************  
  
Bakura sat in his bedroom, reading a book he'd gotten for Christmas. He hadn't seen much of his friends over the holidays, but was more than happy to not be involved with any other Millennium mishap.  
  
Ever since he'd gotten rid of the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring, and given his ring to Yugi, he'd stayed as far away from Millennium Items as possible, for fear that Yami Bakura still lurked somewhere inside him, despite the absence of the Millennium Ring, and would awaken should he come into contact with a item of some power.  
  
"I wonder how Yugi is doing," Bakura wondered to himself, turning the page.  
  
He'd grown slightly lonely being by himself in his room most of the time, but until now hadn't thought of going over to Yugi's to talk or anything. He figured that if the gang were going to do something, they'd call him.  
  
"Well, maybe I'll just take a walk, and pass by the Game Shop," he thought to himself, standing up. "We could probably have a lot more fun if we got together and did something, anyway."  
  
With that, he slipped his shoes on and walked out of his room.  
  
*************  
  
Meanwhile, in the land of Egypt, Ishizu Ishtar walked down the streets carefully, her eyes narrowed. She had managed to convince her brother and Rishido to let her go out on her own, despite their protests.  
  
She was touched they cared so much for her safety, but sometimes she just needed to be alone to think. She needed to clear her thoughts...especially with the new threat that was approaching them.  
  
"If the Vampire Lord has returned," she murmured to herself as she walked past an open-air marketplace. "We will need every ounce of strength and every ally we have to oppose him...and win."  
  
Swallowing, she looked up at the blue sky. Shadi had left days ago to track down the Vampire Lord and figure out his location. He had left Ishizu, Malik, and Rishid in charge of gathering the other Millennium Item owners and anyone else who could help. He only requested not to get his older sister involved since she had no real powers of her own and he didn't want her to get hurt in the process.  
  
Ishizu understood this, but had put off calling Yugi Motou and his friends for a few days now. Why, she did not know exactly. Perhaps, she thought, I was trying to think things through clearly before calling.  
  
But today, being the fourth day since Shadi had gone off, she knew she had to call them. There was no other option. Without their help, Egypt would surely perish in an attack from the Vampire Lord...the evil that plagued Egypt 3000 years before.  
  
*************  
  
Across the sandy desert, there stood a temple built in ancient times, dedicated to the gods of Egypt. Inside stood many stone statues of the supposed gods, and it had also become the home of these gods over the years. At this moment, Bastet, the black cat goddess, was pacing back and forth, her ears flattened against her head.  
  
Thoth, the ibis-headed god of the moon, raised his eyebrow, watching his friend pace around.  
  
"Is something wrong, Bastet?" he inquired, setting down his scroll and pen.  
  
Bastet hissed impatiently.  
  
"Yes, there is," she replied firmly, trying to think clearly. "It's my duty with the Millennium Items."  
  
Thoth cocked his head.  
  
"What about it?" he inquired curiously.  
  
"Well," Bastet replied, sighing. "It seems that the Millennium Items have shifted hands once again. The ring, puzzle, and necklace are held by the Pharaoh and the rod is now held by the reincarnate of the high priest."  
  
Thoth nodded, not understanding.  
  
  
  
"How is that bad then?" he asked.  
  
"It's not necessarily that the switching of owners is bad, Thoth," Bastet retorted. "It's just complicated. Many more opponents have arisen to face off against them, and if even one Millennium Item lands in the grasp of evil, we're looking at a mess of trouble for everyone. I'm just concerned, that's all."  
  
Thoth nodded.  
  
"I see," he replied.  
  
Bastet narrowed her eyes again, sighing.  
  
"And I sense something very strong approaching..." she murmured to herself, closing her eyes in concentration. "They must be on their guard...or else."  
  
************  
  
End of Chapter One  
  
What did you think? Leave a review and let us know!  
  
"^_^! Yep! And next chapter up tomorrow! ^_~ 


	2. Chapter Two: The Call

Chapter Two: The Call  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing! And in reply to reviews:  
  
Alan: Era of Darkness is the name of a different fic I'm still working on. ^^;  
  
Nadia aka Spiderfan: ^-^! I like having Priest Seto around to. ^^  
  
"Ok! And here comes chapter two!"  
  
************  
  
Chapter Two: The Call  
  
Shadi walked down the streets of an abandoned Egyptian town, scanning the sides of the road skeptically out of the corner of his eye. This seemingly empty town seemed to hold the most evil energy than any other in the country, so naturally he was on his guard as he walked quietly through the town.  
  
Behind him, there was a rustle of some sort, like a cape flapping in the wind, and Shadi's Millennium Key that he wore around his neck lit up brilliantly as he turned around, alert.  
  
There was a dark figure standing behind him, smirking, staring at Shadi with his yellow eyes. There was a golden medallion around his neck that gleamed in the Egyptian sunlight. Shadi narrowed his eyes, at once realizing he had found who he had been looking for.  
  
"You are a Millennium Item owner," The dark figure hissed, his cape flapping back and forth in the wind.  
  
Shadi narrowed his eyes.  
  
"I am," he replied. "And you are the evil that has been locked away for many millennia."  
  
The dark figure smiled evilly.  
  
"HAD been locked away," he corrected Shadi. "I am a powerful magician, but I am less human than I am Ka. For that reason you may address me as the Vampire Lord, although you won't be addressing me for very long. Except perhaps to plead for your life."  
  
Shadi gritted his teeth.  
  
"We will see about that," he retorted, the Millennium Key glowing brightly around his neck. "I think it is time for your reign of terror to come to an end."  
  
He shot out a powerful golden beam of energy from the key, but the Vampire Lord easily dodged it, leaping over it and slashing at Shadi with his long nails. Grinning, he looked over at Shadi, who was clutching his shoulder, where four long slash marks were spreading blood over his white robes.  
  
"Wrong, human," The Vampire Lord replied with a smirk. "My reign has only just begun."  
  
With that, Shadi vanished, to no surprise of the Vampire Lord. Grinning, he turned and walked into the desert, toward the next city...and his next victims.  
  
************  
  
"Whee!" Pearl cried as she slipped down the snow hill on the purple sled, Amber and Duke in their own sleds on either side of her. "This is great!" she called over to her cousin, who nodded.  
  
"Yeah! Sledding is my favorite winter thing to do!" Amber called back as she sped over a lump in the snow, causing her sled to wobble.  
  
Duke nodded, the wind blowing back his black strips of hair that he usually left dangling in front of his face. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he noticed a large ditch right along the path of Pearl's sled. She'd never make it over that thing if she rode over it! He thought to himself.  
  
"Hey Pearl! Look out!" Duke called over to the white-haired girl, who looked forward at the ditch, her eyes widening.  
  
"Oh no!" she cried, squeezing her eyes shut, preparing to crash.  
  
The pearl she always wore around her neck suddenly lit up brightly as it flapped back and forth as the sled continued down the hill. Pearl heard Amber and Duke gasp, and she opened her eyes to see that she'd made it past the ditch without capsizing!  
  
Grinning, she turned around to see the ditch behind her, only to find that there was no ditch anymore. As her sled slowed to a stop, she stepped out into the snow and narrowed her eyes at the spot where the ditch should have been. Now, over the ditch, was a thin sheet of what was unmistakably...  
  
"Ice...?" Pearl murmured, her jaw dropping.  
  
Amber and Duke hurried over to the ditch, looking down at the newly formed sheet of ice. Amber ran her hands over the smooth surface as Duke looked over at Pearl, who still looked utterly surprised.  
  
"How...?" he began, but Amber cut him off, standing up.  
  
"The pearl?" she asked, blinking at her cousin. "I though you had used up all the magic of the pearl."  
  
Pearl swallowed, her legs feeling like Jello underneath her.  
  
"I...I though I had..." Pearl replied looking down at it, remembering how Anubis had taken her back to his lair and taught her how to use its powers.  
  
Why the pearl had ever had the ability to make things out of ice or cover them with it, Pearl had never known, and after the short-lived experience with it, she could no longer make things with ice, no matter how hard she tried. She figured it was just as well, since she'd nearly killed all her friends with her foolishness, but...had the power always been there...and she just didn't know it?  
  
Duke blinked, looking from the ice sheet, to Pearl, and back to the ice again. Then, he flipped his damp stands of hair up, trying to sound casual.  
  
"So the power of the pearl is still there?" he asked.  
  
Amber nodded, looking shocked.  
  
"I guess...so..." she murmured. "Weird."  
  
Pearl nodded, her eyes wide.  
  
"Very weird," she agreed, hoping Amber and Duke wouldn't be mad at her...now that the pearl's power was once again in her possession.  
  
There was a moment's silence, as the three just stood there in the snow, a gentle breeze blowing by, when Duke finally decided to break the silence.  
  
"Well, you didn't crash," he pointed out with a smirk, Pearl smiling and nodding.  
  
Amber laughed.  
  
"Very true," she replied, looking up at the house. "Now do you guys want to go in? I'm freezing!"  
  
*************  
  
Yugi walked outside of the Game Shop, zipping up his blue jacket as he did so, not wanting to catch cold. He walked down the icy sidewalk and away from the shop. As he'd explained to Yami, he had wanted to get out of the house for a bit, and hopefully, talk to his friends in the process.  
  
Not more than a few minutes after he had set out, Yugi spotted a familiar figure walking down the sidewalks in the opposite direction, coming straight toward him. Yugi broke into a grin and ran over to meet his friend.  
  
"Hey, Bakura!" he called, trying to avoid patches of ice as he ran up to greet him. "How've you been?"  
  
Bakura smiled.  
  
"Yugi," he replied. "I've been pretty good. Just felt a little cooped up at home, you know?"  
  
Yugi nodded, grinning.  
  
"I do," he agreed. "So how was your Christmas?"  
  
"Good," Bakura agreed. "Not very exciting, I'm afraid. Although, I do believe I could probably stand for a little less excitement in my life, after that last incident at Madam Christina's."  
  
Yugi nodded again, laughing.  
  
"I know what you mean," he agreed, turning back toward the Game Shop. "Say, did you want to come over to my place and duel or something? Maybe we could even invite Taerro or Tristan over too."  
  
Bakura nodded eagerly, following his spiky-haired friend as they headed back toward the Game Shop.  
  
"That sounds like fun," he agreed as they approached the shop.  
  
*************  
  
Priest Seto floated through the walls of Seto's office, where the teenage boy was still hard at work on the computer. Priest Seto sighed, debating whether or not to interrupt, but deciding that since he bothered to come in, he may as well say what he had wanted to say.  
  
"Yes?" Seto asked, looking up from his work and noticing the ancient spirit floating up and down in the room.  
  
"I have been meaning to talk to you about something," Priest Seto replied, looking seriously over at Seto. "Do you have time?"  
  
Seto sighed, saving his files and looking back over at the priest.  
  
"I suppose," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "What did you need to talk about?" he asked, dreading the reply.  
  
"It's about the Vampire Lord," Priest Seto replied darkly. "I don't suppose you saw any of our ordeals with him in the dream with my memories that you had, did you?"  
  
Seto sighed, knowing that the priest was going to talk about SOMETHING like this, but he closed his eyes anyway, trying to remember. When he'd been on the verge of death after an encounter with a possessed Taerro, the priest had transferred some of his spiritual energy to him, and with it, some of his last memories. They had been of the final battle between Yami Bakura and the priests, but Seto couldn't recall anything about the Vampire Lord...  
  
"No, I don't remember him being there," Seto replied, looking over at the priest. "Why?"  
  
  
  
Priest Seto sighed.  
  
"I wondered because if the dark energies that I am sensing DO belong to the Vampire Lord, then it is essential that you know the only way we discovered could stop him," he replied.   
  
Seto raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And what was that?" he asked, mildly curious.  
  
"The Millennium Rod's ability to seal away Ka into stone tablets," Priest Seto explained. "When the powers of the Ka of the Pharaoh and the priests had weakened the Vampire Lord enough, I used the power of the rod seal him away...for a while at least."  
  
Seto swiveled his chair around and looked out the window the overlooked the snow-covered lawn outside the house. There were tracks through the snow from where he and Mokuba had played outside several times. He sighed.  
  
"So you're saying that if this Vampire Lord ever comes back, I'll have to use the power of the rod to seal it away again?" Seto asked.  
  
Priest Seto nodded, biting his lip. This was one topic he knew a lot about, but the problem was, he still didn't know if there was a plan that would work against the Vampire Lord.  
  
"Partially," he replied. "That is necessary, but it won't be as simple as that. If the Vampire Lord has grown stronger, as he no doubt probably has, it's going to take a lot more power than the Pharaoh, you, and everyone else combined to put him down again."  
  
************  
  
As Yugi and Bakura walked into the Game Shop together, brushing snow off their coats and hanging them up on the wall, the phone at the front desk rang, and Yugi could hear his grandfather answering it.  
  
"Hello, Game Shop?" he answered professionally. "Hm? Yugi? Alright then, let me get him."  
  
Yugi and Bakura exchanged puzzled glances as Yami appeared beside Yugi, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"A call for Yugi?" he mused, looking seriously forward as Yugi's Grandpa walked into the room. "I wonder..."  
  
"Yugi, there's someone on the phone for you in the shop," Grandpa explained as Yugi slipped his shoes off and left them by the door. "You can take the call, but don't stay on too long, since that is the shop's phone line."  
  
"I won't," Yugi promised, gesturing for Bakura to follow him.  
  
"Hello, Bakura," Grandpa added upon noticing the white-haired boy as he and Yugi walked into the shop and behind the counter.  
  
  
  
Yugi picked up the receiver that was lying on the counter.  
  
"Hello?" he asked, curiously.  
  
Everyone who knew him usually called by the home line, not the phone line in the Game Shop. Who could be calling for him?  
  
"Yugi Motou?" Came a misty and familiar voice from the other end.  
  
Yugi's eyebrows went up as he recognized the voice of the caller.  
  
"Ishizu?" he asked, surprised. "What's up?"  
  
"Yugi, I know you remember the foe that awakened in Anubis's temple, correct?" Ishizu asked urgently and seriously.  
  
"Ishizu?" Bakura murmured, looking surprised as well.  
  
"Yeah...Yami Taerro, the evil spirit that possessed Taerro broke apart from him and became the Vampire Lord," Yugi replied with a nod. "What about him? Have you found him again?"  
  
Ishizu sighed.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes," she replied sadly. "He's been terrorizing Egypt, and is determined to use his tremendous powers to take over the entire country."  
  
Yugi gasped.  
  
"Oh no!" he cried. "Isn't there anything we can do to stop him?"  
  
Bakura bit his lip. From just hearing Yugi's side of the conversation, it sounded like the evil spirit that had once possessed Taerro was now causing even MORE trouble. This certainly doesn't sound good, Bakura thought to himself.  
  
  
  
"Well," Ishizu continued. "There is. If you and all of your friends band together and combine your strengths with the rest of us here in Egypt, we might be able to put an end to his terror."  
  
Yugi nodded knowingly, Yami, who had overheard the entire phone conversation, sighing, worried.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, that seems like a logical solution," Yugi replied. "We'll try to get out to Egypt as soon as possible, okay?"  
  
Ishizu nodded, her eyes shining with worry as she held the phone up to her ear.  
  
"Thank you," she replied. "We'll try to keep him at bay until you arrive. I'm going to call the others now, so I must go."  
  
Yugi nodded.  
  
"Good bye, Ishizu," Yugi murmured, as he heard a click on the other end, meaning Ishizu had hung up.  
  
Bakura blinked anxiously, looking over at his friend.  
  
"So, there's trouble in Egypt?" Bakura asked, swallowing.  
  
Yugi nodded.  
  
"Yeah, it's the Vampire Lord again," he replied, sighing and walking toward the house again. "We've got to get there as soon as possible, before it's too late."  
  
He turned around and faced Bakura, looking serious.  
  
"Are you going come?" Yugi asked, wondering.  
  
Bakura smiled.  
  
"Of course," he replied with a shrug, walking toward Yugi. "I'll be glad to help in any way I can."  
  
Yugi nodded with smile.  
  
  
  
"Good," he replied. "Thanks Bakura."  
  
*************  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
REVIEW PLEASE!  
  
"^^; Thanks for reading, and next chapter up soon!" 


	3. Chapter Three: Assembling

Chapter Three: Assembling  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing! ^^ I really appreciate it, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Things will probably heat up once everybody gets to Egypt. ^_~ And in reply to some reviews:  
  
Lady of the Thread: Lol! Maybe that is where Amber gets it from. XD Of course, Lily isn't the greatest nurse out there. ^_~  
  
"OK! Here is chapter three!"  
  
*************  
  
Chapter Three: Assembling  
  
Seto sighed, growing tired of having to be involved with the Millennium Items. Despite the fact that when Yugi entrusted him with the protecting of the Millennium Rod, explaining that he only needed protect it, not use it, he'd been using the rod more and more all the time.  
  
"Do you know how to seal ka away?" Priest Seto asked, hoping he wasn't going too far for one conversation.  
  
Seto sighed again in irritation as he turned around, looking seriously at the priest.  
  
"I'll worry about that when the time comes," he replied.  
  
There was a small squeak, and both Seto and Priest Seto turned around and stared carefully at the door for a moment. After a minute, Seto shrugged, looking down at the paperwork that was scattered all over his desk.  
  
"It was probably just a draft," he decided out-loud, when suddenly, the phone on his desk beside him rang, and Priest Seto jumped, still not used to the phone just ringing every now and again by itself.  
  
Seto sighed, reaching over and picking up the phone.   
  
"Hello. Kaiba," he answered in a serious tone, assuming it was one of his customers calling with a question.  
  
He raised an eyebrow as he heard the feminine voice on the other end of the line make her reply.  
  
"Hello, Seto Kaiba I assume?" Came Ishizu's soft, misty voice.  
  
Priest Seto tilted his head as Seto's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Ishizu?" Seto asked, sounding surprised.  
  
"Yes," Ishizu replied seriously. "I need to speak with you about a very important matter."  
  
"Which is...?" Seto asked, already feeling as though he had an idea of why the Egyptian woman would be calling him.  
  
"Seto," Ishizu sighed, addressing the boy directly. "A terrible evil has come back to Egypt and is doing everything to destroy it. Yugi and several other friends of his have already volunteered to come help, and I was wondering..."  
  
Seto sighed.  
  
"If I would be willing to help as well?" Seto asked, Ishizu falling silent for a moment.  
  
"Well, yes," she replied at last, nodding. "It is necessary to gather as many as possible on our side to oppose the Vampire Lord."  
  
Seto nodded, still reluctant, but knowing that he had to do it.  
  
"Alright," he replied, sitting up straighter and shutting down his computer as he spoke. "I'll be there. What city are you in?"  
  
"It's a small village outside of Cairo," Ishizu replied, glancing down at a map that she had spread out over the kitchen table. "There's an airport nearby. You should be able to find your way."  
  
Seto nodded.  
  
"Fine," he replied, hanging up, Priest Seto looking over at him quizzically.  
  
"Ishizu?" Priest Seto murmured, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Seto nodded, standing up, picking up his briefcase that was sitting on the floor beside him desk.  
  
"Yes..." he murmured, going over to a cabinet and pulling out a few papers and putting them on the desk. "Your suspicions were correct, it seems," he added, trying not to sound very concerned.  
  
Priest Seto's eyebrows went up.  
  
"It's true then?" he asked sharply. "The Vampire Lord HAS returned to Egypt?"  
  
Seto nodded, putting the papers in a folder and filing them before picking up his briefcase again.  
  
"So it seems," he replied. "Ishizu is requesting that everyone to come to Egypt to help out with the situation."  
  
Priest Seto nodded, looking determined.  
  
"Yes," he replied. "So you're going today?"  
  
Seto shrugged, picking up the phone.  
  
"I'll see if there's an available flight to Egypt today," he replied, sighing.  
  
Priest Seto nodded again, then raised an eyebrow and looked over at the slightly ajar door. A certain black-haired someone was peeking in, eavesdropping on the conversation.  
  
************  
  
Outside the door, Mokuba closed the office door shut, and walked down the hallway slowly, his grayish eyes shining with worry.  
  
"Niisama's going to Eygpt..." he murmured slowly to himself as he approached his room. "Again. And probably to face off against that Vampire Lord...the one that almost killed him last time he was there."  
  
He swallowed hard, trying to figure out something to do. The young boy walked into his room and flopped down on his bed, trying to think. Burying his head in his pillow, he squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
"I can beg to go along...but niisama will say it's too dangerous," Mokuba murmured to himself, biting his lip. "What can I do...? I don't like him going to strange places with evil people all around."  
  
"Your support always helps," Came a voice from behind him, and Mokuba rolled over quickly, his pillow falling to the floor as he gasped.  
  
"Oh! Priest," Mokuba murmured, sighing and letting his shoulders sag again as he lowered his gaze to his bedspread. "My "support" doesn't help, really. I can't do anything to stop niisama if he gets into trouble with these weird people."  
  
Priest Seto smiled at the boy and floated down to rest on the end of his bed, facing Mokuba.  
  
"You do," he replied. "You always help. And there will be a day when you can help physically as well as spiritually."  
  
Mokuba huffed as he pulled his knees close to his chest, gently rocking back and forth on the bed.  
  
"I can't think of when that would ever be," he replied sadly. "But...can you help me convince niisama to let me go along with him? Not even go out and help him when we're there, I just..."  
  
Priest Seto nodded.  
  
"I understand," he replied seriously. "I'll try my best, but I think maybe you should bring your concerns to your brother yourself. I think it would make much more of an impact that way."  
  
Mokuba nodded.  
  
"Okay..."  
  
***********  
  
Amber sighed as she, Duke, and Pearl sat in the living room, drinking hot chocolate. After they'd come inside, her mom had made them all go right back out and shovel the driveway before coming back in. Now, the three were relaxing.  
  
"I'm sure glad your house has heat," Pearl muttered, burning her tongue on her hot chocolate. "Cause I can't stand this cold weather sometimes."  
  
Duke chuckled, lowering his gaze to her pearl.  
  
"That's funny, since that pearl of yours has abilities revolving around ice," he replied with a wink.  
  
Pearl sighed, her thoughts turning back to her pearl. She was still concerned about its sudden rejuvenation of its powers. Did that hold some significance? Could Anubis be lurking nearby again?  
  
Amber sighed, leaning back in the armchair when the telephone beside her suddenly rang. Raising an eyebrow, she reached over and picked it up, expecting it to be a telemarketer or someone for her parents.  
  
"Hello?" she asked, blinking. "Ishizu...?" she murmured after the woman on the phone introduced herself. "That woman who works in the Domino Museum?"  
  
Pearl's ears perked up at the word Domino. It was someone from Japan? What could they be calling Amber about?  
  
"Who's Ishizu?" she asked curiously, but Duke motioned for her to be quiet.  
  
"I...see," Amber replied with a nod. "Well then, Duke and I will be there too. Yeah, I'll just have to get my parent's permission."  
  
Duke raised an eyebrow. Were they needed back in Japan?  
  
"Good bye..." Amber murmured, hanging up the phone, looking slightly confused.  
  
"They want us back in Japan for something?" Duke asked, assuming that was where the call was from.  
  
Amber shook her head in reply.  
  
"No..." she replied. "That was Ishizu calling from Egypt. She said everyone else is gathering there to help out with putting a stop to the Vampire Lord. It seems he's causing trouble again. Big time."  
  
Duke nodded.  
  
"I see," he replied, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets. "So they want us to go to Egypt?"  
  
Amber's mother, who had been walking by the door, carrying the vacuum, raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Who wants you to go to Egypt?" she asked, looking suspiciously around at the threesome.  
  
"Well, Ishizu, a woman who works in this museum in Japan, called to say she needs Duke and my help in Egypt with this evil guy who's kind of ruining things," Amber attempted to explain, realizing how silly she must sound to her mom.  
  
Duke nodded, hoping to back Amber up.  
  
"Yeah," he replied. "It's very important."  
  
Amber's mom raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.  
  
"Well, if you're needed I guess you can go," she replied. "I'll see if there are any cheap airfare tickets to Egypt," she added, walking into the next room. "My, my, you're just all over the place these days, aren't you Amber?"  
  
Amber blushed before looking seriously back over at Duke again.  
  
"The Vampire Lord? That guy who steals people's energy to increase his own?" she asked quietly.  
  
Duke nodded.  
  
"Guess so," he replied, looking toward the stairs. "We'd better go get our stuff, I guess."  
  
Amber nodded, walking over to the staircase.   
  
"Yeah," she replied as she and Duke started up to their rooms, leaving Pearl behind in the living room.  
  
Pearl narrowed her brown eyes, looking sadly down at the ground as she twirled her pearl around in her hands. It was her fault, after all, that the Vampire Lord had reawakened. He stole the power of her pearl, which gave him enough energy to separate from Taerro.  
  
"And now he's up to no good again," she murmured, squeezing her eyes shut. "And it's MY fault!"  
  
With that, she ran upstairs, hoping she could convince her cousin and Duke to let her come along too.  
  
"Amber? Duke!" Pearl called, hurrying into Amber's room, where her cousin was putting a few shirts in her suitcase.  
  
Amber turned around, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"What's wrong, Pearl?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as Duke walked into the room as well, holding his black suitcase.  
  
"Yeah," he agreed, looking down at the white-haired girl.  
  
"Well..." Pearl began, unsure as to whether or not she should just blurt it out right away. "I want to come with you guys to Egypt!" she declared, closing her eyes.  
  
There was a moment of silence, in which both Amber and Duke gave each other confused glances. Amber cleared her throat.  
  
"Um...why, Pearl?" she asked, trying not to offend her.  
  
Pearl clenched her fists as she looked up at her older cousin.  
  
"For lots of reasons!" Pearl declared, determined not to let them go without her. "First of, it's my fault that this Vampire guy woke up, cause I was so stupid to go with Anubis in the first place and it was at his temple that he stole my pearl's powers. Second of all, I nearly got everyone killed in that mess, so I owe to everyone to help out. And lastly, my pearl's power just came back! It's almost too coincidental! I'll be helpful, I promise! And I won't get into any trouble!"  
  
Amber and Duke's eyes were wide as the girl continued on her rant of reasons.  
  
"...so PLEASE let me come!" Pearl concluded, closing her eyes and clapping her hands together in front of her. "Please?"  
  
There was a moment's silence before Duke chuckled.  
  
"Well, with so many good reasons for you to come along, we can hardly leave you behind," he mused, Amber winking at him.  
  
"True," Amber replied. "And I know you'll be helpful, but you've got to promise to be safe, too, alright?"  
  
A wide grin spread over Pearl's face as she nodded eagerly.  
  
"I will!" she promised.  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, Joey and Serenity, Tristan, Taerro, and Tea had all received similar calls from Ishizu, and were all preparing to catch a flight to Egypt themselves. Joey had insisted Serenity stay behind, but after some coaxing, she managed to convince her brother that she'd be perfectly safe and was allowed to come along.  
  
Taerro was eager to go as well, since it had been the spirit HE awakened that was now rampaging in Egypt. Besides which, he wanted a little payback for all those months that he'd been possessed by the Vampire Lord.  
  
Tristan was allowed to go, but was disappointed when his dad suggested he come along as well, since he'd had lots of fun on past times he'd come with Tristan, and also because he felt it was much too dangerous to go without a chaperon.  
  
Tristan WOULD have mentioned that it was much too dangerous for anyone to be there without Yugi or some Millennium Item owner around, but didn't want to get in trouble and not be allowed to go. So he packed up his things and prepared for a dad-filled flight to Egypt.  
  
Tea had received her call while her friend Kiki, an Irish dancer who was still visiting Japan, was over. As Tea hung up the phone, the pale-haired girl tilted her head, looking confused.  
  
"Tea? Is there something wrong?" she asked quizzically, looking over at her friend from the kitchen table.  
  
Tea forced a smile and shook her head.  
  
"No, not really," she replied, sitting down across from Kiki. "Just...just that Yugi and everyone else are going to Egypt to fight against this evil spirit who at one point had possessed one of our friends."  
  
Kiki nodded slowly.  
  
"The evil man who kidnapped me?" she asked, referring to Yami Bakura, who had taken her as a hostage to sacrifice her a while back.  
  
Tea shook her head no.  
  
"No, not him, although this one is similar," she replied. "He's...well, dangerous."  
  
Kiki blinked, nodding.  
  
"So are you going as well?" she asked, stacking up her books in front of her.  
  
Tea nodded, looking worried.  
  
"Of course," she replied. "I can't let everyone else go off by themselves. Even if I can't do much, I still want to help out where I can..."  
  
The brown-haired girl trailed off as Kiki smiled and nodding, knowingly.  
  
"I know," she replied, putting her hand over Tea's on the table. "Be safe, and I hope you and your comrades are successful."  
  
Tea smiled back at Kiki, feeling a little better about the whole thing. But still, she thought to herself worriedly. The guy has been after us for months. He's not going to be easy to defeat, that's for sure. Can we do it?  
  
**********  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
^_^ PLEASE leave a review. Thank you.  
  
"And we'll get the next chapter up soon, of course." 


	4. Chapter Four: Journeys

Chapter Four: Journeys  
  
Notes: ^^ Thanks so much for reviewing! And will Mokuba go to Egypt? Well, we'll find out in this chapter. ^_~  
  
"Chapter four, next!"  
  
  
  
*********  
  
Chapter Four: Journeys  
  
Yugi sat in an airplane seat next to Bakura, feeling anxious. It had been several hours since the two had left Domino, catching the plane only just in the nick of time. Now, the spiky-haired boy stared out the window, deep in thought.  
  
It had been only a month or two since he'd last visited Egypt, but only briefly while they were at Anubis's temple, rescuing Pearl. Egypt wasn't only the land of the Millennium Item's origin, but it was also the place where Yami was from, and also the place of his memories...  
  
Yugi looked up at Yami, who was lying on his chest up near the baggage compartment, thinking. He was looking forward, but Yugi could tell his partner wasn't really looking at the television screen, that was playing an action movie. No, he's probably thinking the same things I am, Yugi decided to himself with a sigh.  
  
"Yugi?"  
  
Yugi turned to look over at Bakura, who blinking, looking over at Yugi, concerned.  
  
"Are you alright?" Bakura asked sounding genuinely concerned.  
  
Yugi blushed and nodded, forcing a smile.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, looking back out the window again at the bright fluffy clouds. "I'm just thinking about this whole thing. The Vampire Lord, and everything else."  
  
Bakura nodded, knowingly.  
  
"I know how you feel, Yugi," he replied, sighing and leaning back in his seat. "It seems like these evil spirits have been after us forever, trying to get at the Millennium Items, and us."  
  
Yugi nodded in agreement.  
  
"I know," he replied seriously. "First the evil spirit of your ring, and then the evil spirit that possessed Taerro. Except now he's not just an evil spirit anymore."  
  
Bakura shook his head.  
  
"No," he agreed. "He's got his old body and all of his old abilities back. And I suspect he hasn't just been wasting time this past month."  
  
Yugi sighed.  
  
"Yeah," he agreed. "I bet he's been stealing energy from other people and becoming even more powerful."  
  
Bakura sighed, closing his eyes, trying to fall asleep.  
  
"Yes," he murmured. "Unfortunately."  
  
**********  
  
Mokuba bit his lip, walking down the crimson-carpeted hallway toward his brother's bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and Mokuba could hear the distinct noises of drawers opening and closing as Seto packed for his trip.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Mokuba pushed the door open and peeked into the room.  
  
"Niisama?" he asked, blinking, Seto turning around and smiling quickly over at his younger brother. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
Seto nodded, before turning around and pulling out other things from his drawers and putting them neatly in a suitcase. He wouldn't be staying very long, he figured, so he only packed one change of clothes and some pajamas. Hopefully, though, he thought. I won't even need to stay overnight.  
  
"Sure, come in," Seto replied absentmindedly, searching for a pair of socks at the bottom of the drawer.  
  
Mokuba walked a few feet into the room.  
  
"Niisama? You're going to Egypt, aren't you?" he said outright, causing Seto to pause.  
  
Slowly he sighed and turned around.  
  
"Yes, but only for a day or so," Seto replied, not wanting to worry his younger brother.  
  
Mokuba clenched his fists by his side, wishing Seto wasn't going even more so than before.  
  
"Niisama, you're going to help Yugi and the others defeat another evil guy," Mokuba said accusingly, staring at the ground rather than at his brother. "I overheard you talking, and I don't want you to go."  
  
Seto sighed, walking over to Mokuba and bending down so that he was at the same level, and the two were face to face. He put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder, causing him to look up.  
  
"Mokuba, listen," he said seriously. "I don't want to go, but I have to. There's no other option. But don't worry. I'll be fine."  
  
Mokuba sighed, looking up at Seto with his watery gray eyes.  
  
"Can I come too?" he asked, blinking.  
  
Seto sighed, old fears cropping back up again. Mokuba had been safe in Domino during most of the visits to Egypt, and Seto liked it that way. That way, there was less change that his little brother was going to be hurt.  
  
"Mokuba, I want you to stay here for your own safety," Seto began, trying to be gentle about it, but Mokuba cut in.  
  
"I'll be safe," Mokuba replied sincerely, looking up at Seto pleadingly. "I promise! I won't get into trouble or anything. I just hate you going to these weird places all alone."  
  
Seto sighed, trying to decide, debating with himself. His eyes wandered over to the clock on the wall, and he realized that he would miss his flight if he delayed any longer. Standing up, he sighed again.  
  
"Alright," he said sternly to Mokuba, whose eyes lit up. "If you can get your things together in ten minutes, you can come."  
  
Mokuba nodded, grinning.  
  
"Okay!" he replied, scampering out of the room.  
  
As the boy sprinted down the hallway, he passed Priest Seto, who smiled at Mokuba's sudden change in attitude.  
  
"Who could refuse him?" The priest chuckled to himself, floating downstairs.  
  
***********  
  
It was nearly dusk as Ishizu sat outside her small house. She, Malik, and Rishido had moved back to the Gravewatcher's home where they had lived most of their lives, but Malik especially preferred to stay outside most of the time. Ishizu agreed, since the house held so many memories of things that they wished to forget.  
  
"Not forget," Ishizu had decided with herself upon debating over it. "To acknowledge, and move on."  
  
Now, however, the Egyptian woman's mind was far from debates regarding her house. Her mind was filled with questions, anxiety, and worry. Malik and Rishido had gone off to the airport to wait around and greet Yugi and his friends as they arrived.  
  
Ishizu had decided to stay, in case Shadi returned, or something happened that she should be aware of. She had gotten a cell phone to use since their house, being underground, was a bit hard to install wiring in. She had the phone with her now, just in case someone should call, although she hoped if someone did, it wouldn't be regarding the Vampire Lord.  
  
Sighing, she leaned back in the chair she'd brought outside.  
  
"Please, be safe, everyone," she murmured to herself, soaking in the evening sun's rays as it began to set in the blue sky.  
  
**********  
  
Malik tapped his fingers nervously on the plastic blue armrest of the chair he was seated on. It was a hard and rather uncomfortable airport chair, and people were rushing this way and that, announcements being made over scratchy loudspeaker systems and trams flying by, carrying people and bags to their destinations.  
  
Beside him was Rishido, who was waiting more calmly. His face was stony and serious as Malik sighed and looked toward the gate.  
  
"This is the one neesan said Yugi and Bakura would be arriving at, right?" he asked his friend, who looked down at a piece of paper in his hands.  
  
Ishizu had written out all the known gates and times for when Yugi and the others would be arriving.  
  
"Yes, this very gate," Rishido replied with a nod. "The plane should be letting the passengers off in a few minutes."  
  
Malik smiled and nodded.  
  
  
  
"Ok," he replied, standing up and looking around as a door opened and a crowd of weary-looking passengers got off, looking around for the people who had come to greet them. "They should be on this flight..."  
  
Malik scanned the crowd for any sign of his two old friends when he suddenly spotted the very tip of Yugi's hair through the crowd, and he forced his way through the thick knot of people to Bakura and Yugi.  
  
"Malik!" Yugi exclaimed with a grin, surprised. "I didn't think you'd be here."  
  
Malik smiled, laughing.  
  
"Of course I would," he replied, leading the two back to where he and Rishido had been sitting.  
  
Rishido had saved a few seats for the two newcomers, but Bakura and Yugi, having just gotten off the plane after so many house, decided not to sit down and continued their conversation standing.  
  
"Neesan told me which gates you'd be arriving at," Malik continued, scanning his two friends. "My, it's been so long since I've seen the both of you."  
  
Yugi chuckled, remembering how Malik, Ishizu, and Rishido had decided to stay in Egypt after their encounter with Bastet and Anubis.  
  
"Yes, it has," Bakura replied, growing more serious. "I wish it were under different circumstances, however."  
  
Malik nodded, sharing Bakura's concern.  
  
"The Vampire Lord was last sighted in a small village about fifty miles from here," Rishido informed them. "Shadi, if you have ever met him, went off to investigate."  
  
Yugi nodded.  
  
"Yes, we've met," he replied as a woman with a toddler hurried by, knocking over Yugi's suitcase. "I hope he's careful," Yugi continued, picking up his back again. "The Vampire Lord is pretty tough, and isn't affected by a lot of powerful things."  
  
Malik nodded, sighing as he looked down at the paper in Rishido's hands.  
  
"Yes, I know," he replied, checking the next time. "We should get over to Gate D now, since Joey and a few others are going to be on that flight, and it's going to be landing any minute now."  
  
Yugi nodded, the four hurrying through the crowded airport toward the next gate.  
  
***********  
  
Several hours later, their group number had considerably grown as they picked up members of the gang from the various gates. Bakura was dozing in one of the airport chairs as Joey, Tea, Taerro, Serenity, Yugi, Tristan, Mr. Taylor, Malik and Rishido were waiting for one of the last flights to pull in.   
  
  
  
By now, the air was chilly, even in the airport, and the sun had long since set outside as the bright lights from airplanes and other appliances flashed outside.  
  
Joey was eating a cinnamon bun as Mr. Taylor flipped through a magazine on scientific discoveries in Egypt. Tea sighed as she looked over at Yugi, who was watching the red words pass by on the screen in some Arabic language. Sighing, he turned to Malik.  
  
"What does that message board up there say right now, Malik?" Yugi asked, pointing up to it.  
  
Malik tiredly glanced up at the board and waited for the words to run by once again.  
  
"It says Flight 902 arriving from America," Malik replied, rubbing his eyes to stay awake as the doors opened and the crowds from the plane began streaming out into the airport.  
  
Yugi's eyes lit up as he spotted Amber, Duke, and surprisingly, Pearl, walking out into the gate, looking around, confused. Waving, the spiky-haired boy ran over to greet them, followed by Malik and Tea. (Everyone else merely sighed and continued what they were doing.)  
  
"Amber! Duke!" Yugi cried, grinning as Amber let her backpack fall down to her elbow. "And Pearl too? Hi!"  
  
Pearl smirked, feeling proud.  
  
"Yep," she declared, pointing her thumb at herself, despite the fact she hadn't quite understood what Yugi had just said. "I'm here!"  
  
Malik smiled, reaching out a hand to greet the girl.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Pearl," he said in a friendly voice. "I'm Malik Ishtar."  
  
"Er..." Pearl murmured, trying to think of a way to reply as she shook his hand. "Hi!" she said cheerfully, closing her eyes and smiling.  
  
Amber scratched her cheek.  
  
"She doesn't speak very good Japanese yet," she explained to Malik, who laughed.  
  
"That won't be a problem," he replied, turning to look at the rest of the weary group. "It seems everyone except Mr. Kaiba and his brother are here."  
  
Duke yawned, dropping his bag in front of the seat next to Joey, who was now a sticky mess from the cinnamon bun. He was trying to use the napkins the clerk had given him to wipe off his fingers, but they were only tearing and getting stuck to the icing on his fingers.  
  
"Darn," Joey muttered angrily as Duke sat down with a sigh.  
  
He laughed at Joey's appearance.  
  
"Enjoyed that cinnamon thing, didn't you?" he teased, twirling a lock of hair around his index finger calmly as Amber and Pearl took seats next to him.  
  
"Shut up, Devlin," Joey retorted, embarrassed as he stood up, Serenity, who had been resting while leaning on his shoulder, falling forward into Joey's empty seat. "Oh! Sorry sis!" he cried, turning red as Tristan held out his hand and helped her back up.  
  
"Thank you, Tristan," Serenity replied to the brown-haired boy who had just helped her up. "Oh, and it's alright, Joey," she added to her blonde-brother, who looked irritated that Tristan had just "rescued" his sister.  
  
"I'll be back," Joey said shortly, stomping off to the bathrooms to get the icing and cinnamon off of his hands.  
  
Yugi sighed, grabbing his bag again as he stood up.  
  
"Well, we better head toward the last gate," he sighed, Taerro gently prodding Bakura.  
  
"Get up, Bakura," he chuckled, grabbing his suitcase as well. "We've only got one more plane to wait for."  
  
"Thank goodness..." Bakura replied groggily as he pulled himself up out of the plastic chair. "I don't know how much longer I can keep awake."  
  
Yugi laughed, sighing.  
  
"Yep, we've just got to get Kaiba and Mokuba and then we can get out of this place," he replied.  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter 4  
  
^_^!! Review!  
  
"And next chapter up soon!" 


	5. Chapter Five: Shocks

Chapter Five: Shocks  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!  
  
"Here is the great Chapter five!"  
  
**********  
  
Chapter Five: Shocks  
  
Up in the air, on an airplane that was preparing to descend to its final destination, Seto and Mokuba were sitting next to each other, Seto in the window seat and Mokuba on the aisle. Priest Seto was hovering around the compartments, examining things.  
  
"I still don't understand how this big...house thing can fly," Priest Seto murmured as he floated past Mokuba and Seto's row. "It just doesn't make sense."  
  
Mokuba giggled tiredly as he looked over at his brother, who had dozed off, leaning against the window.  
  
"Well, I don't quite know myself, priest," Mokuba replied with a chuckle, a woman in the seat across from where he was sitting eyeing him suspiciously. "Oops," Mokuba muttered, leaning back in his seat, having forgotten that no one else could see the priest.  
  
Seto opened one eye as the plane began to descend. He didn't mind planes, but he despised wasting time. And plane rides were definitely a waste of time. Although, he supposed, it was better than driving, or taking several trains.  
  
The sandy deserts of Egypt came into view as the plane began to descend slowly and securely.  
  
***********  
  
Nearly ten minutes later, the plane had come to a full stop at the gate, and all of the passengers were exiting the plane. Yugi watched the door anxiously, looking around for some sign of the two Kaiba brothers as the hurried people in the crowd tried to find their families.  
  
"Just snag them out of the crowd so we can go home," Joey muttered, slumping down in his chair. "I am definitely ready to ditch this place and get somewhere more...home-like."  
  
Malik held back a chuckle. Wouldn't Joey be in for a surprise when they reached their home?  
  
"There they are!" Yugi called, waving furiously, hoping to get the two boy's attention.  
  
Seto and Mokuba spotted the rag-tag group and made their way through the crowd and over to where they were. Mokuba smiled, dropping his suitcase on the ground beside him.  
  
"Well, that's everyone," Bakura commented, checking Rishido's list. "Looks like we can head out of here, right?"  
  
Malik nodded.  
  
  
  
"Right," he replied, looking toward one of the exits. "We'll have to wait around for a few cabs, though," he added, causing Joey to slap his face with his hand.  
  
"Sheesh, I don't think I'm ever going to want to come back to another airport again!" Joey cried in exasperation.  
  
Seto smirked.  
  
"Well then, Joey, I hope you like life in Egypt," he commented, causing Joey's eyes to fall half-shut.  
  
"Ha-ha," Joey replied as everyone else chuckled as they made their way toward the exit.  
  
  
  
**********  
  
It was very late at night by the time the three cabs pulled up in front of the Gravewatcher's home. Ishizu was still sitting out by the doors, watching eagerly as everyone got out of the vehicles. The moon was out that night, so with that and the lights from the cabs, everyone was able to see their way around as they pulled their suitcases and bags out of the cars and over to the home.  
  
Joey blinked, looking around at the fairly flat area of land, confused.  
  
"Where's the house, Malik?" he asked, wondering if they'd gone to the wrong address.  
  
Malik scratched his cheek, chuckling.  
  
"It's right through those doors, Joey," he replied, pointing to the wooden doors that were much like those that would lead to the cellar of a modern home.  
  
Pearl looked down at the doors in amazement, as did Joey.  
  
"Where do they live? In a basement?" Pearl muttered in English, Amber shooting her a silencing glare, despite the fact no one else would understand her anyway.  
  
"It's an underground home," Ishizu explained, walking over to the doors and pulling them open, the hinges creaking as behind them revealed a dark stairway.  
  
As Joey still looking stunned, Malik walked past the others and after his sister, who had started down the stairway.  
  
"Just walk slowly and you won't trip," he explained to the others as they lugged their baggage over. "Trust me, it's a lot lighter downstairs. We've got candles."  
  
Joey blinked in shock as Mr. Taylor pulled out his pocket flashlight and started after the others.  
  
"Come along, Joey," he called merrily, grinning. "This is going to be SO fascinating!"  
  
Joey started forward, dragging his feet along.  
  
"Candles?" he muttered.  
  
***********  
  
An hour later, Ishizu had managed to find enough rooms and beds for everyone to use for the evening and Rishido was preparing dinner. Joey was hanging out in the kitchen area, feeling a little more optimistic about staying in an underground house for a while.  
  
"I'm afraid this one is quite dusty," Ishizu sighed, peering into one of the rooms that hadn't been used in quite some time as Seto and Mokuba followed her down the hallway. "I haven't even recalled going in here before."  
  
Mokuba blinked, looking in at it as Ishizu lit one of the candles in the room. It smelled highly of dust and the two beds inside were very uncomfortable-looking. However, it WAS a room.  
  
"We'll live with the dust," Seto said, putting his bag down on one of the beds.  
  
Ishizu smiled.  
  
"Well then, come up to the open room when you're ready for dinner. It's down the hallway just a bit, so you can't miss it," she informed them before walking out of the room.  
  
Mokuba sighed, putting his bright red bag on the bed. It looked quite out of place when put against the musty brownness of everything else in the room. Priest Seto floated around inside the room, smiling.  
  
"Now this looks more like what our homes used to be," he commented, looking around, memories of his life flowing through his mind.  
  
Mokuba chuckled, pulling out his pajamas and laying them across the bed.  
  
"I guess it should," he replied.  
  
Seto pulled out his laptop, but realized there was no outlet to plug it into, so he put it back in his suitcase and slid the whole thing under the bed. There was nothing he needed in it right then anyhow.  
  
"That white-haired girl from America is kind of...weird," Mokuba muttered, zipping up his suitcase. "What's she like? I've never met her."  
  
Seto shrugged, walking toward the door.  
  
"She's a troublemaker," he replied shortly. "I wouldn't get involved with her."  
  
Mokuba giggled.  
  
"I didn't say I wanted to play with her or anything, I was just curious," he replied, sprinting after his brother. "But never mind, then."  
  
Priest Seto looked over at the two brothers as they started out into the hallway.  
  
"I may as well explore the place while they're at dinner," The priest thought to himself, floating through the walls in the opposite direction. "This place is very interesting."  
  
***********  
  
Yugi pulled out his deck and placed it on the small table beside his bed. Smiling, he looked around.  
  
"This is one of those places that I'd say "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here" to," he chuckled, looking over at Yami and Bakura, who was sharing the room with him.  
  
Bakura nodded, looking down at Yugi's bag that was lying open on his bed.  
  
"True," Bakura agreed, brushing some dust off his bedpost. "It would be hard to get used to living without electricity."  
  
He narrowed his eyes at the bag again as Yugi pulled out his pajamas and something gold glinted in the candlelight.  
  
"Yugi..." he murmured, Yugi blinking and turning around.  
  
"Hm?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.  
  
Bakura paused, but he knew what it must be.  
  
"Did you bring the Millennium Ring with you?" Bakura asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.  
  
Yami raised an eyebrow from where he was floating around in the back of the room. Yugi nodded, pulling it out and holding it up, the five pointers dangling from the bottom hitting against each other as he held it.  
  
"Yeah, I did," Yugi replied with a nod. "I thought maybe since we were in Egypt, and facing off against a powerful enemy, it and the necklace might come in handy."  
  
Bakura nodded, still feeling uneasy.  
  
***********  
  
Amber looked around the room she was sharing with Pearl, waving dust out of her way as she looked around.  
  
"Well, this certainly could be used for a history field trip," she joked, smiling over at her cousin. "I mean this place is so cool and old-looking. I bet it's been here for a long time."  
  
Pearl huffed, dropping her pink bag on one of the beds, a cloud of dust rising from it.  
  
"Ew," Pearl whined, coughing on the dust. "You've got the old part right, that's for sure," she muttered, not looking too happy with the situation. "I wish we could have just gone to a hotel."  
  
Amber shook her head, smiling.  
  
"Come on, Pearl," she told her cousin. "It's going to be an interesting experience, to say the least. Besides, we're not here on vacation. We've got important things to do. Now you wanted to come, remember?"  
  
Pearl sighed and nodded.  
  
"I know, I know," she muttered, crossing her arms across her chest. "But this place is still pretty stone age."  
  
Amber rolled her eyes at her cousin.  
  
***********  
  
After everyone had finished settling in, they all gathered in the wide room that Ishizu had told them to come to, and spread out on the floor to eat dinner. Tea smiled as she tried the soup, looking over at Rishido.  
  
"This soup is wonderful, Rishido," she complimented, taking another sip.  
  
Yugi nodded, grinning.  
  
"Yeah! You're a great cook," he added, Rishido turning slightly pink around the cheeks.  
  
"I'm glad you enjoy it," he replied simply.  
  
Seto sighed, looking up at a large hole in the ceiling where the bright white moonlight shone into the room. From the top, it had looked like a well, but it really served more purpose as a sunroof, he decided to himself, although he wasn't going to ask to find out.  
  
Taerro had found some sort of carving on the wall and was examining it with a magnifying glass. Malik noticed this and walked over.  
  
"Interesting?" he asked, looking down at Taerro, who nodded eagerly.  
  
"Oh yes," Taerro replied, standing off and brushing dust and dirt off of his jeans. "Do you know what it says?"  
  
While Malik was explaining the carving to Taerro, Joey sighed and leaned back against the wall of stone.  
  
"Well, although this isn't exactly what I'd call my ideal vacation spot, you can sure cook up one good meal, Rishido," he said, closing his eyes in content. "That was good."  
  
Ishizu smiled, standing up and collecting a few bowls.  
  
"I'm going to go retire for a while," she explained, walking into the kitchen and dropping off the dishes before walking down the hallway alone.  
  
"We'll help do the dishes," Tea offered, picking up a few bowls that had been left unattended.  
  
Serenity nodded and the two girls began collected dishes with Rishido while Yugi walked over to Bakura, who was still looking preoccupied with something. Yugi raised an eyebrow, concerned.  
  
"Is there...something wrong, Bakura?" he asked, cocking his head.  
  
Bakura looked up, surprised, and forced a small smile, shaking his head no.  
  
"No, no. Not really, at least," he replied, his brown eyes shining in the moonlight. "I think I'll head off to bed, unless you guys need me for something."  
  
Yugi shook his head as he stood up with his friend, Bakura walking toward the darkening hallway and back toward the bedrooms.  
  
"I'll see you later, Bakura," Yugi called after him, narrowing his eyebrows in concern.  
  
There was definitely something up with Bakura, he thought to himself. Ever since we talked in the bedroom something's been bothering him...but what?  
  
Yami nodded, staring after the white-haired boy as well.  
  
"I agree," he replied, looking down at his partner.  
  
***********  
  
Priest Seto floated down the long hallways past rooms that weren't even lit with candles anymore. The dim blue glow from his body was all the light in these rooms, so it wasn't easy to see where he was going.  
  
A moment later, he turned into a small and dark room, with a small table or alter of some sort set up in the front of the room. Slowly, he made his way up to it and he saw that there were two boxes, almost, carved into the table, as if for holding things...things of importance.  
  
Suddenly, he felt a strange presence, as if someone new had entered the building. Swallowing, he closed his eyes, trying to figure out who it could be. His thoughts were cut off, however, as a bright light suddenly filled the room.  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter 5  
  
REVIEW PLEASE!  
  
"Yes, and next chapter up soon! ^_~" 


	6. Chapter Six: The Sign

Chapter Six: The Sign  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing! And as some of you may have noticed, I changed the name to "The Strike of the Vampire Lord." ^_~ Sorry if that caused any confusion in the last chapter.  
  
"And here's chapter six!"  
  
**********  
  
Chapter Six: The Sign  
  
As Priest Seto narrowed his eyes, examining the area with interest, a light suddenly came on in the room, and Priest Seto whirled around to see Ishizu lighting one of the candles on the wall.  
  
He blinked as she looked over at him with a serious face.  
  
"This was where we, the Gravewatcher's, used to keep the Millennium Items," she explained simply, as if he had asked her, walking forward and to the table.  
  
Priest Seto nodded, backing away from her a little, feeling uncomfortable. She looked too much like the ancient priestess that every time she spoke he felt as though he were hearing her again. And ever since Priestess Isis had died, the priest couldn't help but feel awkward whenever he thought about her.   
  
It wasn't as though he had any feelings for her other than being a friend and fellow servant of the Pharaoh's, at least that he could tell, but all the same, he still felt uncomfortable. Like the priestess hadn't told him something...  
  
"You were the holder of the Millennium Rod in your life, were you not?" Ishizu asked, turning around.  
  
Priest Seto nodded slowly, the flickering candle causing shadows to creep up on the wall.  
  
"Yes, I was," he replied.  
  
Ishizu sighed, looking down at the table.  
  
"It was obvious from the tablet, but one thing confuses me," she said slowly. "WHY are you here?"  
  
Priest Seto blinked. That was a good question, he thought to himself. He could no longer use Bastet as any excuse, because although she was the one who called him the second time, she hadn't contacted him in months. Obviously, he was of no use to her anymore.  
  
His self-given duty was to watch over Seto Kaiba and Mokuba, but how in the world could he use that as his sole purpose for being there?  
  
"I am simply curious," Ishizu continued. "The Pharaoh's spirit is trapped in the puzzle, and other spirits that I've encountered have also been sealed within an item of some sort. But you are different because you're free, and not bond to anyone or thing."  
  
Priest Seto sighed.  
  
"I don't know then," he replied simply. "But as long as I am here, I wish to aid the Pharaoh in his search for his memory and make sure the items are not in the hands of evil again."  
  
Ishizu raised an eyebrow.  
  
"...And?" she asked, feeling there was something else.  
  
Priest Seto narrowed his eyes.  
  
"And protect my reincarnate," he finished.  
  
Ishizu nodded and was about to say something when she heard a squeal from across the house, as if the door had opened, and then a few gasps. Biting her lip, she hurried out of the room, leaving Priest Seto by himself, staring into the flickering flame of the candle.  
  
***********  
  
Upstairs, Yugi gasped as Shadi walked into the room, the left side of his beige robes covered in blood, although the man didn't seem to concerned about it. Amber's eyes widened as he walked in.  
  
"Who the heck is he?!" Pearl yelled, and fortunately, no one but Duke and Amber understood her.  
  
"Shush, Pearl," Amber hissed as Yugi rushed over to Shadi.  
  
"Shadi! What happened to you?" he cried, his eyes wide as noticed the blood on his robes.  
  
Shadi sighed gravely.  
  
"I found the Vampire Lord," he explained as the others walked over, Mr. Taylor recognizing him from Madam Christina's mansion.  
  
"Good grief! You look like a wreck!" Mr. Taylor exclaimed, going over to Shadi. "Why don't you go get cleaned up?"  
  
Shadi shook his head, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"There is no cause for alarm," he insisted, eager to finish his message. "What I am here to say is that the Vampire Lord has become much stronger than I imagined. And he has a new tactic, which I accidentally stumbled upon during my travels."  
  
At that moment, Ishizu ran into the room, her eyes wide as she noticed Shadi.  
  
"Shadi!" she gasped, putting a hand to her throat. "What happened to you?"  
  
Shadi sighed.  
  
"It isn't important right now," he repeated impatiently. "You are all in grave danger. The new tactic of the Vampire Lord makes him even stronger."  
  
Duke tilted his head to the side.  
  
"So what's this killer new tactic?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Seto crossed his arms across his chest and listened, not commenting. Mokuba, too, was listening attentively at his brother's side.  
  
Pearl clenched her fists in irritation.  
  
"Who is this dude?" she repeated, pointing an accusing finger at Shadi, as if he were some kind of intruder from another planet.  
  
Amber blushed red as Pearl's ignorance and poor manners and she bend down and whispered who Shadi was into her ear, followed by a warning to keep her mouth shut next time. Shadi, however, couldn't understand Pearl and really didn't care if he'd been insulted.  
  
"The victims that the Vampire Lord drains become slaves, forced to do their master's bidding until their death," Shadi said darkly, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the room, looking around at the others. "This means we are not just up against one strong being, but a strong being and a whole army of followers who will stop at nothing to kill."  
  
Joey gulped, a shiver going down his spine.  
  
"Are you SURE about this, Shadi?" he asked, his teeth chattering in fear.  
  
Shadi nodded, still looking grave as Ishizu tried to examine his arm, but he pulled it away simply.  
  
"I said there is no need," he replied politely to her, although she still didn't look convinced. "I must be going. I need to pinpoint the evil man's location, but I had to warn you, just in case he should strike here."  
  
Malik nodded, looking serious.  
  
"Thanks for the warning," Yugi replied, Yami trying to think about a way to counter this new ability. "But it's late. Are you sure you don't want to stay here for the night?"  
  
Rishido nodded.  
  
"There's more than enough room," he added, but Shadi shook his head.  
  
"I must be leaving," he replied, walking toward the door.  
  
Yugi held out his hand and started after the mysterious man, but he realized after a moment that Shadi had vanished in the darkness of the night. Stopping short, Yugi sighed, biting his lip.  
  
"I don't think he should have gone out there tonight..." Mr. Taylor sighed, shaking his head. "Especially with all that blood all over him."  
  
Tristan raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What?" he asked, completely confused.  
  
Mr. Taylor raised an eyebrow, looking embarrassed.  
  
"Well, the one after us is the VAMPIRE Lord, right?" he asked, looking around at the others, who sighed. "You know. Vampires like blood?"  
  
No one was really in the mood for a joke, not that Mr. Taylor had intended it to be one in the first place. Within ten minutes after Shadi's sudden arrival and departure, everyone had decided to head off to sleep so they could get up early the next day and begin their search.  
  
***********  
  
Yugi tossed around in his bed. It was hot that evening, despite the fact that it was wintertime, although they WERE in Egypt now, he reminded himself, trying to find a cool spot on his pillow.  
  
Luckily, he'd remembered to bring his own pillow, since the Ishtars didn't have enough to go around. Sighing, he looked up at the stone ceiling, wondering to himself. Shadi had found out that the Vampire Lord could make slaves out of people AND increase his own energy at the same time.  
  
How was that possible to defeat, when even if faced up against a duel monster, the Vampire Lord would suck its energy right out of him before it could even start to attack?  
  
"Yugi..."  
  
Yugi eyes snapped open and he looked up to see Yami floating beside his bed.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, eagerly.  
  
"Get some rest, aibou," Yami suggested, looking seriously down at Yugi. "We have a big day tomorrow, and you'll need your strength."  
  
Yugi nodded, feeling wide-awake now.  
  
"I know...but I just can't sleep," he replied, lying down on his pillow again, trying not to sneeze on the dust.  
  
Vaguely he wondered how Bakura had managed to get to sleep so quickly, seeing as how he was especially sensitive to dust and pollen. Yami nodded understandingly.  
  
"I understand, but you must try," he reminded his friend. "Tomorrow will be here soon enough."  
  
Yugi sighed, closing his eyes wearily.  
  
"All right, Yami..." he murmured, drifting off.  
  
Yami, however, had no intention of resting. As soon as he was sure Yugi was asleep, he floated out of the bedroom and down the hallway.  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, Duke and Joey had both fallen asleep in their rooms, and Mr. Taylor was still awake, reading in bed in the room he shared with Tristan, who had also fallen asleep.  
  
Pearl had only managed to get to sleep after using a bit of the pearl's power to ice up her bed. Amber wondered what in the world Ishizu would be thinking when the bed was either still icy or all soggy the next morning, but had eventually fallen asleep herself.  
  
Taerro and Rishido, who were sharing Rishido's room, were both asleep, as were Malik, Ishizu, and Mokuba. Seto was staring up at the ceiling of his room as well, jumbled thoughts crowding his mind.   
  
"I never expected I'd end up in Egypt in an ancient house by the end of Christmas break," he sighed, feeling somewhat irritated at having to come, but then, also worrying about how they would defeat the Vampire Lord.  
  
He didn't know how to seal away a ka, but he didn't want to ask for help, especially if it meant learning how to use the Millennium Rod even more. But then again, perhaps it didn't matter anymore.  
  
"I can't seem to avoid using it anymore," he sighed, rolling over to the side and facing the wall, his back to Mokuba, who was sleeping soundly in the bed across from his. "And...I might need that ability someday."  
  
Still, the boy was not quite willingly to give into it.  
  
***********  
  
Priest Seto floated through the night air, over the sandy deserts of Egypt. It wasn't as if anyone were going to be missing him tonight, so the priest had decided to go out exploring his home country.  
  
"If there's one thing that hasn't changed over these many years," Priest Seto sighed, looking down at the ground. "It's the deserts. Still so barren and dry. They never change, I suppose."  
  
After a while, he came upon a stone temple in the middle of the desert, and he floated through the doorway. He hadn't been there since he'd been awakened by Seto, but there was something about it that he wanted to see. Settling down on the ground, he walked through the temple, looking right and left at the huge plaques on the ground.  
  
"This was a place where people who had done honorable things in their lives were buried after their deaths," he murmured, stooping down to read the heading on one. "Ryuji..." he murmured.  
  
Beside it, was someone he didn't recognize, and then beside that one was a woman's tomb, but part of the name had worn off. Next to that one were several tombs grouped together, one of which was his own.  
  
"High Priest of the Pharaoh...died during a battle with evil," he read off the tomb.  
  
Next to that one was a plaque that read "Nameless Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty." Sighing, Priest Seto turned to leave. Nameless...  
  
"I had hoped to find a clue to defeat the Vampire Lord," he murmured to himself, closing his eyes. "Instead, I've just awakened painful memories."  
  
Suddenly, his eyes opened. If his visit had brought back memories of his life, perhaps the Pharaoh would remember something as well if he were to visit. However, he added to himself. I'll decide about that after this Vampire encounter is over.  
  
With that, the spirit left.  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter Six  
  
^_^ Review!  
  
"Review! And next chapter up soon!" 


	7. Chapter Seven: Attacks

Chapter Seven: Attack  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing! And in reply to some reviews, *chuckle* I don't think Amber is the one with the scales, actually. ^-^ I think I know who'll have those...eventually.  
  
"And here's chapter seven!"  
  
**********  
  
Chapter Seven: Attack  
  
Ishizu sighed and closed her eyes, wishing she could fall asleep, but something was preventing her mind from being put to rest for the evening. Shadi has been injured and the Vampire Lord is close, she thought to herself worriedly. And now he could strike anytime...and anywhere.  
  
**********  
  
Yugi sighed, pushing his cover off of himself and standing up on the stone floor. It was probably past midnight, he thought to himself, but he couldn't sleep. He felt as though someone, or something, were hovering around him, and it wasn't Yami.  
  
"It's like some sort of...evil presence I'm sensing," he murmured, looking around for some sign of his partner. "Yami? Yami!"  
  
But the spirit of the Pharaoh was nowhere in sight, much to Yugi's dismay. After lighting the candle again and shivering, and not because of the weather, he walked out of his and Bakura's shared room and into the hallway.  
  
"Yami?" he called in a loud whisper, biting his lip, his purple eyes shining with worry. "Yami? Where did you go?"  
  
***********  
  
Seto's eyes snapped open as he heard what was unmistakably footsteps in the hallway. Narrowing his eyes, he silently got out of bed and leaned against the wall where the door was in view. There was a long shadow in the hallway, coming closer toward his room. Then, the shadow stopped and turned into another bedroom.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Seto picked the Millennium Rod up off the table and crept out into the hallway as the shadow went into Pearl and Amber's bedroom. Who on earth would be going in there at this hour? Seto wondered to himself, guessing that whoever it was, they were up to no good.  
  
**********  
  
Pearl was sleeping peacefully on top of her iced bed. She'd accidentally done an ice job on both her pillow and her blankets, so she was a little cold and wet as the ice began to melt underneath her.  
  
Amber was sleeping soundly as well, and both were unaware of the strange and unidentified figure that was creeping over to their beds. The figure reached a rigid hand into their torn coat pocket and pulled out a long knife, the knife glinting in the dying candlelight.  
  
The figure, with its blank eyes fixated on Amber, raised up the weapon and prepared to strike.  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, Yugi was wandering down the hallway, feeling uneasy without Yami around.  
  
"Where could he have gone?" Yugi murmured to himself, biting his lip as he turned a corner, just as someone else at the end of the hallway turned into his bedroom.  
  
Yugi, hearing footsteps, whirled around and saw someone turn into his bedroom. The boy hurried down the hallway and back over to his room, wondering if Rishido or Ishizu had gone to check up on them.  
  
Yugi turned into the room quietly, peeking his head in as the figure dropped something sharp to the ground, whatever it was clattering on the floor. From the looks of it, it appeared to be a...KNIFE of some kind!  
  
"Hey! Who're you and what're you doing?!" Yugi gasped, running in as the figure wirled around, revealing blank eyes and a slumping posture, as if he were...  
  
"Possessed," Yami declared from behind Yugi, Yugi turning around to see the familiar face of his friend.  
  
"Yami! He's going to kill Bakura!" Yugi cried, hoping his spirit partner had a plan. "What are we gonna do?"  
  
***********  
  
"No you don't!" Seto yelled as he ran into the room and over to the figure, knocking his arm, causing the knife to fall onto Amber's blankets.  
  
Amber sprang up in bed, awakened by all the noise. She gasped as she saw the zombie standing over her and the knife on her bed. Quickly, she grasped the handle of the knife and got out of bed.  
  
"Kaiba! What the heck is going on?!" she yelled to the brown-haired boy, who was easily outwitting the zombie as he continued to use the Millennium Rod as a weapon.  
  
"I don't know," Seto growled in reply, throwing the zombie up against a wall. "Help me tie him up with the sheets," he instructed, gesturing to her bed as he pinned the zombie-man against the wall.  
  
Amber quickly did as he told her and they wrapped the man up with the sheets, tying them tightly behind his back. Amber sighed as the zombie struggled to break free, to no avail.  
  
"That should hold him for a while," Seto murmured, turning around and examining the room.  
  
Pearl was still sound asleep, to both his and Amber's amazement, and the knife the zombie had used was lying across Amber's bed. Shakily, Amber picked it up and put it on the table.  
  
"Who the heck is this guy?" she asked Seto, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Seto shrugged, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"If it's who I think it is, it's probably one of those zombies that Egyptian man was talking about earlier," he replied shortly. "I'm going to see if Mokuba's still safe."  
  
With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Amber and Pearl by themselves. Amber sighed, stunned by the sudden attack, and sunk into her bed again for a moment. After a moment, she got up and picked up her younger cousin and headed for the door.  
  
"There's no way I'm leaving Pearl alone in here, and I need to make sure the others are okay," Amber thought to herself, walking down the hallway, feeling uneasy.  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, Duke blinked, rubbing his eye and sitting up in bed. Feeling as though he were being watched, he glanced around, the room dark since the candle had nearly burnt all the way down to the bottom by now.  
  
Joey was snoring in the bed next to him, but Duke could hear footsteps in the hallway. Slowly, he got up and pushed the covers off, and walked over to Joey's bed. He shook the blonde-haired boy's arm roughly, knowing it would take a lot to wake up Joey.  
  
"Joey, wake up," he hissed urgently, feeling as though something weren't quite right. "Joey! Get up!"  
  
Joey rolled over and groaned.  
  
"Just five more minutes, mom," he muttered, pulling the pillow over his head.  
  
  
  
Duke pulled Joey's covered off and poked his shoulder again.  
  
"Joey you idiot, get up!" he hissed again, hearing the footsteps coming closer. "There's someone in here."  
  
  
  
Joey opened one eye, and blinked blearily up at Duke.  
  
"Duke...?" he murmured, trying to focus. "What're you doing at my house?" he asked, totally forgetting he was in Malik's house.  
  
Duke slapped his forehead in exasperation as a long shadow approached his room. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out several dice, hoping to be able to surprise whoever the intruder was.  
  
"Are you trying to steal my sister or something...?" Joey muttered angrily, still half asleep as he sat up in bed and looked around, confused.  
  
"Shush!" Duke hissed back as he made out the figure who was entering the room.  
  
Sighing, he dropped his dice on his bed upon recognizing Amber and Pearl, Amber still carrying her younger cousin, who hadn't woken up. He hurried over to the two, looking concerned.  
  
"Amber? What's going on?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Pearl in her arms.  
  
Amber sighed, shifting Pearl around from arm to arm, wishing her cousin would wake up soon.  
  
"There're weird zombie-people running around with knives," she muttered, looking over at Joey. "Have you guys seen any? One tried to attack us while we were asleep, but Kaiba pinned him down and we tied him up."  
  
Duke looked shocked.  
  
"Zombie-people?" he repeated in disbelief, Amber nodding.  
  
"Yeah, it's weird, but I think they must be working for that vampire guy," she replied looking worried. "Kaiba went off to check on Mokuba, but I bet there're more of those weirdos around here."  
  
Duke nodded.  
  
"Yeah, we better warn the others," he agreed, hurrying to his bed and slipping on his shoes before joining Amber back at the door. "Come on, Joey!" he yelled back at the blonde-haired boy. "Unless you want to be zombie food!"  
  
Joey stumbled out of bed, still half asleep, and after the three of them as the hurried out in the hall.  
  
"Wait up...!" he muttered, rubbing his left eye sleepily.  
  
***********  
  
There was a flash of light as the Millennium Puzzle lit up and Yami took over Yugi's body. Yugi appeared in spiritual form beside Yami, watching his partner nervously.  
  
"Be careful, Yami!" he called as Yami pulled the Millennium Puzzle off his neck as the zombie picked up the knife from the floor, and headed toward Yami, intent to kill.  
  
Yami narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Since he's definitely controlled by someone else, or is a zombie with no will of its own, a mind crush would do no good," he debated with himself. "Therefore, I'll just have to use brute force to stun him..."  
  
  
  
At least, that was what he had been planning to do as he pulled back his arm, preparing to swing, when suddenly, a brown and furry thing appeared and lunged at the zombie.  
  
"Kurriii!"  
  
Both Yami and Yugi blinked as Yami's ka, Kuribo, bombarded itself at the zombie, bouncing off its head, stunning it.  
  
"Kuribo!" Yami cried, wondering what his ka was thinking as the Kuribo lunged at the zombie again, this time knocking it over, causing him to fall to the ground and the knife to clatter across the floor and underneath Bakura's bed.  
  
Bakura groaned, opening his eyes and sitting up, having been awoken by all the noise. He gasped as he saw the Kuribo bouncing up and down on the zombie, as though the zombie were a trampoline and Kuribo were playing a game of some sort.  
  
Yami blinked.  
  
"Yugi...why is that...Kuribo bouncing on that...zombie thing?!" Bakura cried, scooting out of bed and scampering over to Yami.  
  
Yami shook his head, smiling slightly.  
  
"I don't know..." he replied, laughing. "But it's doing a good job of stopping that zombie from killing us, wouldn't you say?"  
  
Bakura blinked, still confused and seeing no reason to laugh, but Yugi smiled as well as the Kuribo continued to pulverize the zombie.  
  
"I think that's enough, Kuribo," Yugi chuckled, seeing as how the zombie was already unconscious.  
  
Yami nodded, smiling and gesturing for the furry monster to come over.  
  
"Yes, good work," he complimented Kuribo, who, at the sound of its master's praise, scurried over and nuzzled against Yami's cheek.  
  
"Er...yes," Yami muttered, slightly embarrassed as Bakura backed away. "You can take a rest in the soul room now. Thank you."  
  
Kuribo, after one last hug, nodded with a chirp and disappeared. Bakura looked shakily over at Yugi, who had retaken over his body. Yugi laughed, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.  
  
"It's okay, Bakura," he assured him, his expression turning serious again. "But I have a bad feeling that this isn't the only intruder. We'd better go help the others in case they're being attacked!"  
  
Bakura nodded, putting on his slippers and walking after Yugi, who suddenly stopped and turned around as he reached the doorway.  
  
"Bakura, could you grab the ring and the necklace out of my suitcase?" he asked, glancing over at his bag, which was a few feet from where Bakura was standing. "I might need them."  
  
Bakura nodded reluctantly, and hurried over to the bag. He pulled out the necklace, and then gently picked up the ring, and holding it away from his body, hurried after Yugi into the dark hallway.  
  
***********  
  
"Mokuba!" Seto cried hurriedly, hurrying over to his brother's bed and shaking his arm gently. "Mokuba, get up. It's not safe here."  
  
Seto could hear the muffled sounds of footsteps and candles being lit in other rooms, probably everyone else waking up from all the noise, and possibly more zombies approaching to attack them.  
  
Mokuba moaned and opened his eyes reluctantly, blinking up at Seto in confusion.  
  
  
  
"Ni...niisama?" he asked, sitting up slowly. "What's wrong?"  
  
Seto slid on his shoes and put on his trenchcoat, so that with his long sleeved pajamas, it really didn't look any different from his usual attire. Grabbing his brother's hand and pulling him out of bed, Seto shook his head.  
  
"There's no time for explanations," Seto replied shortly, looking concerned as he saw shadows in the hallway. "This place is under attack, and we've got to get out."  
  
***********  
  
Mr. Taylor and Tristan peeked out into the hallway, sleepily as they heard a few crashes from down the hall.  
  
"Is there a party going on that we didn't know about?" Tristan muttered, rubbing his eye as he tried to wake himself up.  
  
Mr. Taylor adjusted his glasses as Taerro came out of his room, wearing striped pajamas.  
  
"What IS all that racket?" Taerro asked, looking both annoyed and concerned.  
  
Mr. Taylor shrugged, feeling grateful he hadn't changed into pajamas, since everyone else seemed to be running around in theirs.  
  
"I don't know..." he murmured as there was a rustle behind him.  
  
The three turned around and gasped to see four very unfamiliar-looking men standing in the doorway of the large room, each holding a gleaming knife in their right hand, and a blank look in their eyes.  
  
Tristan gulped.  
  
"Okay, we're in trouble," he muttered, backing up alongside his dad and Taerro. "BIG trouble."  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter Seven  
  
^_^! Review!  
  
"And then we'll get the next chapter up soon!" ^_~ 


	8. Chapter Eight: Fighting Against an Army

Chapter Eight: Fighting Against an Army  
  
Notes: ^-^ Thanks for the reviews!  
  
"And here's good ole' Chapter Eight."  
  
**********  
  
Chapter Eight: Fighting Against an Army  
  
Malik's eyes snapped open at the sound of screaming somewhere in the underground home. Pushing off the covers, he jumped out of his bed, and looked around, his eyes shining and wide.  
  
"Neesan?" he whispered, running toward the door. "Neesan! Rishido!"  
  
***********  
  
Seto and Mokuba hurried down the hallway together, Seto gripping the Millennium Rod's golden handle tightly. There was a screech from down near the girl's rooms, but it died down quickly. Mokuba quivered, grabbing onto his brother's sleeve.  
  
"Niisama! What's going on?" Mokuba cried as they turned a corner, only to come face to face with three zombies.  
  
Seto gritted his teeth as Mokuba gasped. The zombies were already pulling out their kitchen cutlery as Seto gently pushed Mokuba behind him.  
  
"This is what's going on," he replied, pulling the end of the Millennium Rod off to the reveal the dagger. "Just stay back, okay? I promise we'll be out of here in a few minutes."  
  
Mokuba's eyes widened as Seto stepped forward, advancing to fight the zombies. Gulping, he nodded.  
  
"Be careful!" he called after his brother.  
  
***********  
  
Priest Seto floated in through the doors and looked around suspiciously, trying to pinpoint the dark energies he was sensing. He gritted his teeth, floating toward the hallway anxiously.  
  
"There's too many to pinpoint," he muttered, feeling apprehensive. "It must be the Vampire Lord's servants at work."  
  
As he floated lower to enter the hallway, he noticed several unfamiliar men standing in front of Taerro, Tristan, and Mr. Taylor, all of whom were retreating, hissing back and forth what they should do.  
  
"Should we duke it out with them?" Tristan hissed, Taerro's eyes widening.  
  
"Fight?!" Taerro gasped. "They've got knives!"  
  
Tristan shrugged, still backing up.  
  
"I've fought thugs with knives before back home..." he began, instantly biting his tongue after letting that slip with his dad around.  
  
Mr. Taylor's eyebrows went up.  
  
"You...WHAT?!" he asked, looking horrified.  
  
Tristan's eyes darted back to the zombies advancing on them.  
  
  
  
"Er...we've got bigger problems right now, dad," he said quickly, making a fist. "And maybe all that street fighting will come in handy."  
  
"St...street fighting?!" Mr. Taylor repeated, looking completely baffled.  
  
But suddenly, a bright white light filled the area, and with a horrible blast, the zombies disappeared into a puff of black smoke. Mr. Taylor, Tristan, and Taerro blinked, looking amazed.  
  
"They just...vanished?" Tristan murmured as the white smoke cleared, and Taerro gasped at what he saw.  
  
"It's...it's a..." Taerro stuttered, surprised.  
  
"Dragon?" Mr. Taylor finished as the White Dragon came into full view, its mighty wings spread out to their full extent.  
  
Tristan nodded, eyes wide.  
  
"It looks like a Blue Eyes White Dragon," he commented, scratching his head. "Weird!"  
  
Taerro narrowed his eyes and looked around, searching. A minute later, he'd found what he'd been looking for. He grinned and turned back to the others as the White Dragon disappeared and Priest Seto floated past them and into the hallway, hoping no one else had been attacked yet.  
  
"It was that priest spirit," Taerro explained. "You couldn't see him, but he was the one who commanded that dragon to save us."  
  
Tristan, for a moment, looked grateful, but a second later, he huffed and folded his arms across his chest.  
  
"We would have been fine with me doing the fighting," he replied stubbornly, Mr. Taylor sighing and shaking his head.  
  
"Sure, Tristan," Taerro replied, grinning and winking at Mr. Taylor, who didn't look too happy.  
  
Rishido walked out of his room, looking around at the others suspiciously.  
  
"Is something wrong?" he asked. "I heard a terrible explosion."  
  
Mr. Taylor sighed.  
  
"We're all being attacked by vicious zombies," he declared, looking exhausted. "We just got saved by a dragon."  
  
Rishido's eyes widened and he turned quickly down the hallway.  
  
"I must make sure Malik and Ishizu are alright," he called back to the others, who nodded.  
  
"Yeah," Taerro agreed, starting after Rishido. "Let's find the others and get rid of these zombie pests."  
  
***********  
  
Tea blinked as she looked up to see Malik running down the hallway. Light were lit and there was a continued stomping noise, as though someone, or some people, were running down the hallways.  
  
"Wha...what's going on?" she murmured, sitting up and rubbing her eyes as Serenity yawned.  
  
The brown-haired girl sat up, brushing her long hair out of her face and blinking.  
  
"Tea?" she asked sleepily. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Tea narrowed her eyes, pushing the covers off and slipping out of bed. Pulling her shoes on, she tiptoed over to the doorway.  
  
"I don't know..." Tea whispered back to Serenity, who was also getting out of bed to come join her. "It sounds like someone is running around, and I just saw Malik run by."  
  
Serenity narrowed her eyebrows, concerned.  
  
"Do you think someone is hurt?" she asked, looking up at Tea. "Or in trouble?"  
  
Tea bit her lip.  
  
"I don't know," she replied, walking out into the hallway. "But there's always a way to find out. Let's find Yugi and see what's going on!"  
  
Serenity nodded as the two girls hurried down the hallway.  
  
***********  
  
Ishizu let out a startled scream as a zombie holding a long sword of some sort stumbled into her room, looking dazed. He brandished his silvery weapon in front of him dangerously, and his murderous eyes were fixated on Ishizu.  
  
"The Vampire Lord's followers!" she gasped, getting out of bed and looking around for something to defend herself with. "His victims become zombies, forced to do his every command!"  
  
The zombie laughed a throaty chuckle, and his blank face turned toward Ishizu as he prepared to strike. Suddenly, Ishizu gasped as Malik ran in the doorway, looking horrified.  
  
"Leave neesan alone!" Malik demanded, his eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
The zombie monster started to turn around but Malik was already on him. He knocked the zombie to the ground, and his sword fell with a clatter. Before the zombie could even get to his feet again, Malik grasped the sword's handle and picked up, pointing it at the zombie.  
  
"Don't move," he demanded, clenching his free hand into a fist. "And don't you dare come near my neesan again."  
  
Ishizu sighed with relief, glad that her brother had stopped the zombie, and equally glad he hadn't been injured.  
  
"Malik," she said softly, walking over to him, where he was still pointing the sharp weapon down at the zombie. "Thank you. That's enough now, though. We can bind him with some rope and he won't cause anymore problems."  
  
Malik nodded, the anger leaving his eyes and he looked worriedly up at his sister.  
  
"Are you okay, neesan?" he asked, concerned, as Ishizu found some rope and used it to tie the zombie's hands.  
  
Ishizu nodded briskly.  
  
"I'm quite fine," she replied, standing up again, Malik still holding onto the sword. "But I have the most horrible feeling that everyone else is not as fortunate. We must check on them."  
  
Malik nodded.  
  
"Hai, neesan," he replied, and the two siblings hurried off.  
  
***********  
  
Duke, Joey, Amber, and Pearl, who was still sleeping soundly in her cousin's arms, found themselves outside, having used the only free hallway to escape the Egyptian building. Outside, Amber sighed, walking forward toward the village.  
  
"This is so creepy," she muttered, shivering. "What about everyone else? Do you think they'll get out okay?"  
  
Joey rubbed his eyes, still trying to wake up fully.  
  
"I don't know..." he muttered, his head dropping for a minute.   
  
"But I know one thing was for sure; we couldn't take on those zombies for long. Especially with you holding Pearl, Amber," Duke pointed out. "We need to get you and Pearl..."  
  
Amber glared at Duke, who raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What?" he asked genuinely confused.  
  
Amber sighed, looking offended.  
  
"I don't need to be protected, Duke," she said, looking slightly irritated. "If you and Joey are going back to fight those zombies, than I am too. I'm not some kind of weakling."  
  
Duke laughed, despite the situation.  
  
"Okay, okay," he admitted, holding his hands up in defeat. "If you want to help, you can."  
  
His face grew serious again.  
  
"But we need to get Pearl somewhere safe; like a hotel or something," Duke continued. "Then we can go back and check up on the others. Maybe there was only one, and Kaiba killed it."  
  
Joey, now more alert, growled.  
  
"Kaiba did all the work and is gonna get all the credit?!" he exclaimed, looking put off. "That's no fair! I'm a tough fighter!"  
  
Duke rolled his eyes as they continued across the sandy grounds of the desert. Amber had her slippers on, and Duke had his shoes, but Joey was still barefoot, and all four were in their pajamas still.  
  
"I'm wandering through the desert with no shoes and my pajamas on," Joey muttered after a moment's silence. "If you'd have told me I'd be doing this yesterday, I would have said you were nuts."  
  
Duke chuckled, and Amber grinned. Pearl rubbed her eyes and stirred.  
  
"Give back my drink..." she muttered, blinking.  
  
************  
  
Seto lunged at the zombies, knocking two over with the blunt part of the rod and hitting the other one in the chest with the sharp point. One grabbed him from behind, but he managed to knock him over as well. Three more wandered in from around the corner, and Mokuba gasped, looking horrified.  
  
"Niisama! Look out behind you!" he yelled, pointing at one zombie who had raised his knife up and slashed it down in front of him, directly at Seto.  
  
Seto whirled around in time to avoid a direct hit, but the knife grazed his arm as he turned. Wincing, he countered the attack and put the next two zombies out of commission as well.  
  
"Niisama!" Mokuba cried, worrying for his brother's sake.  
  
"I'm fine, Mokuba," Seto replied calmly, hitting another one. "Don't worry."  
  
Mokuba bit his lip. Although that was what Seto said, he wasn't so sure.  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, Bakura and Yugi hurried down the hallway, Bakura clutching the necklace in one hand and the Millennium Ring in the other. Yugi's puzzle jangled against the steel chain that he wore around his neck as they hurried around a corner.  
  
Yami appeared beside Yugi in spiritual form suddenly, looking concerned.  
  
"Look out Yugi, there's more of them," he declared, Kuribo appearing again, in front of Bakura. "Kuribo! Multiply!" Yami yelled, and the Kuribo began to multiply into many, many Kuribos.  
  
Bakura blinked, his eyes wide.  
  
"What is going on?" he asked, turning to Yugi as the zombies blinked, looking utterly confused.  
  
"Now! Lunge!" Yami yelled, and the multiples of his Kuribo all bombarded themselves at the zombies, exploding on contact with them and destroying all of the zombies.  
  
Yugi and Bakura grinned, looking over at Yami. Bakura gasped, realizing he could see Yami since he was holding his former Millennium Item. Gulping, he wondered if Yami Bakura were still lurking around in the ring somewhere as well, waiting to return to his host...  
  
"Great job, Kuribo!" Yugi complimented the brown and furry monster, who put his hands together, looking embarrassed by all the attention.  
  
"Kuri-kuri," It muttered, looking flattered.  
  
Bakura cracked a smile at the Kuribo's behavior, trying to forget about the Millennium Ring, although with the cold metal of the item clasped in his left hand, it was hard to leave his mind.  
  
"Okay," Yami sighed, looking over toward the open double-doors that led out of the house. "You two go outside, and Kuribo and I will make sure everyone else gets out safely, alright?"  
  
Bakura nodded, feeling rushed as Yugi grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs.  
  
"Okay Yami," he called back to his partner. "But promise me that you and Kuribo will be careful!"  
  
Yami nodded, looking determined.  
  
"Don't worry about me," he called back as he started toward the bedrooms once more. "You two get out of here and get somewhere safe! See if you can find any others that may have managed to escape!"  
  
Bakura nodded.  
  
"Un!" he called back with a shaky nod, as he and Yugi emerged from the musty underground house and into the cool night air.  
  
***********  
  
Seto panted as the last zombie fell the ground with a thud, and he replaced the sheath on the end of the Millennium Rod. Mokuba ran toward him, wrapping his arms around his brother.  
  
"Niisama!" he cried, noticing the cut on his arm. "You're hurt!"  
  
Seto smiled and shook his head.  
  
"No, it's only a small cut," he replied, looking at the small crimson stain on his pajamas. "Fortunately."  
  
Mokuba forced a smile, looking around at all the fallen zombies.  
  
  
  
"I can't believe you took on all of them!" he cried, looking impressed. "You were great!"  
  
Seto sighed as Priest Seto floated up, looking down at the two of them with concern.  
  
"Are you two alright?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Mokuba and Seto both nodded, Seto sighing.  
  
"Yeah, we're fine," Mokuba replied, swallowing as the ground suddenly shook.  
  
All three of them turned around just in time to see a wall to wall stampede of zombies, all carrying weapons of various kinds rushing toward them. Mokuba gasped as Seto grabbed his hand and started to run, Priest Seto following closely behind.  
  
"White Dragon!" Priest Seto yelled, his ka appearing beside him, but only for a second when he started to roar in pain and started to get pulled toward the crowd of murderous zombies.  
  
  
  
Priest Seto's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"What's going on here?!" he asked, looking shocked.  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter 8  
  
^_^! Review!  
  
"Please review! And we'll get chapter nine up soon!" 


	9. Chapter Nine: Into the Darkness

Chapter Nine: Into the Darkness  
  
Notes: ^_^! Thanks for reviewing, everyone! And in reply to some reviews:  
  
Lady of the Thread: Yes, it would be embarrassing to be beaten by a Kuribo, but a lot of people are, when you come to think about it. X_x  
  
"And here's Chapter Nine!"  
  
**********  
  
Chapter Nine: Into the Darkness  
  
Seto blinked, turning around quickly to see what was going on. He raised both eyebrows in surprise as he realized that the White Dragon was being pulled toward the attacking stampede of zombies.  
  
Priest Seto scanned the crowd and suddenly spotted what he'd been looking for.  
  
"They've got a Dragon Capture Jar!" he called back to Seto and Mokuba, both of whom looked shocked. "They're trying to seal away the White Dragon inside it to prevent us from defeating them!"  
  
Seto growled, clenching his other fist.  
  
"Well what do we do about that?!" he called up to the priest, who nodded down at the Millennium Rod.  
  
"Think of a magic spell that you can use to counter their trap," Priest Seto replied. "Then tap into the power of the rod and activate it."  
  
Mokuba blinked, still running as fast as his legs could carry him alongside his brother as the Millennium Rod lit up and Seto closed his eyes, concentrating on a magic card he was familiar with.  
  
Suddenly, behind them, a huge cyclone appeared, swirling toward the Dragon Capture Jar in one of the zombie's hands, destroying it, and stopping the White Dragon from behind sucked into the jar.  
  
"Perfect!" Priest Seto called down to Seto, as the White Dragon flapped its wings in irritation and roared, preparing to attack. "Don't attack, White Dragon," The priest ordered his monster, causing Seto and Mokuba to glance at each other.  
  
  
  
"What do you mean, don't attack?" Seto asked, narrowing his eyes.  
  
Priest Seto narrowed his eyes, looking ahead at a set of stairs that led up to other set of double doors, which would lead out of the underground home.  
  
"If I attack in the hallway, we could cause the whole place to collapse on us," Priest Seto replied, facing the army of zombies as the stampeded forward. "Get out of the building, and then we'll destroy them as they follow us."  
  
Mokuba nodded, tripping as he tried to climb the steep stairs. Seto whisked him up off the floor and the two hurried to the top. The White Dragon vanished to Priest Seto's soul room as they zombies hurried up and out the doors as well, and into the open desert where Seto and Mokuba were backing up slowly, biding their time until all the zombies were out.  
  
"Okay!" Mokuba called, and the White Dragon reappeared in the sky, his blue eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
"White Lighting!" Priest Seto declared, and the dragon let loose a ferocious attack which destroyed all the zombies below in one burst.  
  
Mokuba clapped happily as the White Dragon roared victoriously. Seto sighed, looking at the brown dust that covered the ground from all the zombies as Priest Seto recalled the White Dragon.  
  
"Now what?" Mokuba asked, starting to walk toward the doors again. "Should we go back inside?"  
  
Seto shook his head, guessing that there were probably more zombies still inside.  
  
"No, we'd better not," he informed his brother, who nodded and ran back toward his brother. "Let's see if anyone else got out on the other side of the building..."  
  
Seto and Mokuba started to walk forward when suddenly, the ground underneath them gave in, and the two brothers found themselves being pulled down into the sand.  
  
"What the...?!" Seto cried, as the two sunk, but not as if it were quicksand, but as if the ground underneath it were hollow...  
  
"Niisama!" Mokuba cried, grabbing onto his brother's coat as the two disappeared.  
  
Priest Seto's eyes widened in shock as the floated down toward the sand where the two had just been.  
  
"Seto Kaiba?" he called, looking around for some sign of the two. "Mokuba?!"  
  
Narrowing his eyes, he ducked down through the sandy surface, and down to where he hoped he would find the two brothers.  
  
***********  
  
Bakura and Yugi walked slowly across the sands, trying to reach the other side of the house, where another exit was located. There were many rocks and pieces of old statues and carvings strewn about, making the path hard and uneasy to walk on.  
  
Bakura bit his lip, sure that the Millennium Ring in his hands was going to suddenly light up and Yami Bakura would be back to possessing him once again. But so far, nothing of the sort had happened. In fact, aside from a strange sound like that of an explosion of some sort, the two hadn't heard anything at all.  
  
"Yugi, I'm beginning to get a very odd feeling," Bakura murmured, swallowing.  
  
Yugi nodded, clutching his Millennium Puzzle.  
  
"I know what you mean, Bakura," he replied, looking around, feeling as though he were being watched. "I keep having this feeling, like..."  
  
"We're not alone," Bakura finished for him, nodding. "I know."  
  
"But I can't see anyone following us or anything," Yugi murmured, glancing behind him to make sure. "Funny."  
  
Sighing, he looked down at the ground.  
  
"I hope Yami and the others are okay," Yugi added, feeling sorry he'd left his friend in the building to fight off the remainder of the zombies.  
  
Bakura opened his mouth to make a reply, but at that minute, the ground underneath Yugi and him gave way, and the two fell through the sands and down into a dark abyss below.  
  
***********  
  
"Move out of the way!" Malik cried, slashing his sword through one of the zombies in his path.  
  
The others wavering in their tracks, but retreated from the area, sensing victims elsewhere. Malik put the sword down at his side, turning to see Ishizu running over to him, Tea and Serenity with her.  
  
"We checked all the other bedrooms, but no one was in any of them!" Tea cried, panting.  
  
She had a nasty cut on her cheek from when she'd been trying to escape from a crew of zombies, and gotten cut by a stray knife. Serenity looked safe, but very shaken. Malik's eyebrows went up, feeling apprehensive.  
  
"No one was there?" he repeated, Ishizu nodding. "Then where did all the others go?"  
  
Serenity quivered, her eyes wide and fearful as she uttered a small squeak. Everyone turned to stare at her, but she was staring straight ahead, behind Malik and Tea.  
  
"Serenity? What is it?" Tea asked, reaching out to the girl, but Serenity shook her head, pointing a shaking finger behind Malik.  
  
"The...the zombies..." she quivered, taking a step backward.  
  
Malik and Tea whirled around, Malik getting his sword ready again. Tea bit her lip, backing up as well.  
  
"Malik, there're too many of them," she murmured as the zombies advanced on the four of them, Malik nodding.  
  
"I know, but there's nothing else we can do," he replied, determinedly. "If we can outrun them, I think the second exit is down the back hallway to the left side."  
  
Tea nodded, Ishizu and Serenity looking behind them.  
  
"It's quite a distance," Ishizu murmured, biting her lip as she hastily brushed a stand of her thick, black hair out of her face.   
  
"Can we make it?" Malik inquired, keeping his eyes on the zombies and his sword poised for attack, just in case they decided to make a move.  
  
Ishizu swallowed.  
  
"I don't think so," she murmured, not wanting her brother to have to face all the zombies by himself. "But we can try."  
  
"You three go, and I'll hold them off," Malik declared, narrowing his eyes.  
  
Serenity gasped as one of the zombies prepared to lunge at Malik.  
  
"Malik!" Ishizu cried, but at that moment, there was a small squeak of some sort, and something quick and furry bounced through the air and landed atop the attacking zombie.  
  
Malik blinked as the zombie fell over to the ground, dropping his weapon as what appeared to be a living pinball shot around at the other zombies, knocking them over as well as if it were playing a game of dominos.  
  
"What is that?" Serenity cried, putting her hand to her mouth in shock.  
  
"It's the Pharaoh's ka!" Ishizu cried, a smile breaking out over her face as she made out the vague outline of Yami through the dust of battle.  
  
Since normally, only people who had a Millennium Item in their possession could see the spirit of an item, Ishizu, who still used the power of the Millennium Necklace at a distance, could still make out the spiritual image of Yami, although much more vague than if she had been holding the necklace.  
  
Malik sighed with relief, putting his sword down as several Kuribos bombarded a troop of the zombies and self-destructed on them.  
  
"Thank goodness," Malik said with a smile, looking over at Tea and Serenity, both of whom looked relieved.  
  
"Pharaoh," Ishizu began, but stopped as she noticed four dark figures turning the corner and into the hallway.  
  
Kuribo narrowed its eyes and prepared to attack, but as the four figures walked into the light, Yami smiled.  
  
"Rishido!" Ishizu cried, smiling as she recognized her friend, who was followed by Taerro, Tristan, and Mr. Taylor.  
  
Mr. Taylor looked around, as if he were searching for something.  
  
"We've been following this little brown puff-ball for ages," he began, looking around at the others. "Where did he come from?"  
  
Tristan sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets.  
  
"I TOLD you, dad," he sighed. "It's a monster; Kuribo."  
  
Ishizu nodded, laughing, glad that nearly everyone was safe and sound, and found.  
  
"That's right," she agreed, Mr. Taylor going a bit red.  
  
"Oh, well...I just wanted to make sure," he said with a forced chuckle, trying to laugh the awkward moment off.  
  
Taerro blinked, narrowing his eyes as he looked around at the others, counting them off.  
  
"Wait a minute," he said suddenly, looking concerned. "Where are Joey and Kaiba? And Yugi!"  
  
Malik bit his lip.  
  
"They're not with you?" he asked, feeling uneasy.  
  
Tristan shook his head, also looking around and noticing that several others were missing as well.  
  
"And Amber, Duke, Pearl, and Bakura are gone too!" he cried, his eyes widening.  
  
Yami looked down at Ishizu.  
  
"Bakura and Yugi are outside," he assured her. "But I don't know where the others are."  
  
Ishizu nodded.  
  
"We should go outdoors anyhow," she insisted, walking toward the nearest exit. "There may be more zombies hiding in these rooms, and we must find the others."  
  
The rest of the group nodded, following after the black-haired woman.  
  
***********  
  
Seto blinked as he opened his eyes to nearly complete darkness. He moved his arm beside him to feel the Millennium Rod, still glowing dimly, as if something in the area was reacting to it. He sat up, his back aching from the fall and he looked beside him to see Mokuba curled up against the wall.  
  
"Mokuba?" he asked, reached out and shaking his shoulder gently, and the boy stirred.  
  
"Hm...niisama?" Mokuba asked wearily, blinking over at his older brother, who was looking down at him. "Where are we?"  
  
Seto narrowed his eyes as he stood up, looking around.  
  
"I don't know," he admitted, gripping the Millennium Rod in one hand, and reaching out the other to help his brother up. "But I'll find a way out of here soon."  
  
"Seto Kaiba? Mokuba?"  
  
Seto blinked, and looked up to see Priest Seto floating down toward them, looking concerned.  
  
"What happened up there?" he asked, coming down to the ground, where he was at eye-level with Seto as he spoke.  
  
Seto shrugged, looking around. They appeared to be in a dimly lit hallway of some sort, but unlike the Ishtar's house, it was definitely not belonging to a friendly person.  
  
The walls and floors were black with ashes and dirt, and the candle-holders on the wall were old and rusted.  
  
"We just fell through the ground!" Mokuba exclaimed, shivering as he took his brother's hand and pulled himself to his feet. "Like it was quicksand or something!"  
  
Priest Seto narrowed his eyes.  
  
"I somehow doubt that was quicksand," he murmured, looking around as well. "If I'm not mistaken, this must be the Vampire Lord's hideout."  
  
Mokuba blinked, looking up at the priest.  
  
"Hideout?" he repeated, looking confused. "Are you sure?"  
  
Priest Seto sighed.  
  
"Long ago, back when the Vampire Lord was first around in Ancient Egypt, his hideout was in the middle of the desert near an embalming area," he explained. "Since no one usually went to visit them embalmer's place, he must have figured he would be safe from the people while he devised his plans."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Even so..." he murmured, starting down one of the hallways. "Why did we end up here? Did he want us to come down for some reason?"  
  
Mokuba bit his lip, hurrying after his brother.  
  
"I don't know..." The priest admitted, following after the two. "But I expect we'll find out soon enough."  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter Nine  
  
"REVIEW!"  
  
^^; Yeah, reviewing would be nice. And then we'll get our next chapter up soon. 


	10. Chapter Ten: Into the Lair of the Vampir...

Chapter Ten: Into the Lair of the Vampire  
  
  
  
Notes: ^_^! Thanks so much for reviewing! And sorry this update took a little longer than the others. ^^; I got a new DVD of YuGiOh and was a little absorbed with it. x_X That and school kept interfering.  
  
"Anyway, here's chapter ten!"  
  
**********  
  
Chapter Ten: Into the Lair of the Vampire  
  
Yugi groaned and rolled over onto his back, gagging on dust he had inhaled from the dirty ground he was now laying on. Taking a deep breath, he opened one eye and stared up at a dark ceiling. Wincing slightly, he pulled himself upright, and looked around.  
  
He was in some dark tunnelway of some sort, with dying candles flickering in their beat-up holders that were attached to the grim, black walls. Bakura was lying face down beside him, still clutching the Millennium Ring in his righ hand, the Millennium Necklace lying a few feet away from him.  
  
Worriedly, Yugi reached over and shook Bakura gently, hoping he wasn't hurt.  
  
"Bakura? Bakura?" Yugi asked gently, biting his lip. "Are you alright?"  
  
Bakura moaned, pushing himself up and rubbing his head. He opened one eye and looked over at Yugi.  
  
"Yes...I'm fine," he replied wearily. "Are you?"  
  
Yugi nodded, relieved as he retrieved the Millennium Necklace and stood up.  
  
"Yeah, I am," he replied, looking around nervously. "But I have no idea where we are."  
  
Bakura nodded, concerned as he stood up, feeling as though they were back in a temple of some sort.  
  
"Me either," he replied. "But I have a feeling this isn't somewhere friendly."  
  
Yugi shook his head in agreement.  
  
"Yeah," he agreed. "We just sort of fell through the ground and into this place..." Yugi mused, putting his hand to his chin in thought. "Something tells me that this wasn't accidental."  
  
Bakura nodded, looking up at the dark ceiling, far above the ground.  
  
"Yes, I agree," he replied, looking back over at Yugi, still holding the Millennium Ring in his hand. "There doesn't appear to be a hole in the ceiling or anything. Someone with some sort of power must have brought us here."  
  
Yugi bit his lip, worrying.  
  
"But who?" he murmured, having a horrible feeling he knew exactly who had brought them there.  
  
***********  
  
Seto walked down the hallway cautiously, his eyes scanning the narrow passageways for any sign of someone sneaking up on them for a surprise attack. Mokuba was close at his brother's side, looking slightly frightened.  
  
"Niisama, we fell through the ground to get here, so does that mean we're underground?" Mokuba asked, shivering.  
  
Seto sighed, turning a corner.  
  
"Probably," he replied. "But don't worry, I'll find a way out of here."  
  
Priest Seto floated up above the two Kaiba brothers, trying to keep his mind clear to sense things. There was a heavy and pulsing force of evil energy nearby, he knew that much.  
  
"The Vampire Lord is probably in the heart of this maze," The priest murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Although..."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow, continuing forward.  
  
"Although...?" he repeated, gesturing for the priest to continue.  
  
"I sense many other dark presences, meaning that more of the Vampire Lord's servants must be down here as well," Priest Seto finished darkly. "Be on your guard."  
  
Mokuba nodded quickly.  
  
"No worries about that," he mumbled, sticking close to Seto as they turned another corner and entered a small, dark room, with two flickering candles on either side, illuminating it.  
  
On the floor was a shiny carving of some sort made of a metal, it appeared. The flames were reflected in the metal, making the large carving that covered nearly the entire floor look like water rippling around on a windy day.  
  
"What's this for?" Seto asked, looking suspiciously around the room, the Millennium Rod lighting up in his hands.  
  
Priest Seto gritted his teeth as a dark and shadowy figure started to emerge from the shadows.  
  
"One of the Vampire Lord's servants," he murmured, Mokuba backing up a few steps.  
  
"Niisama..." The boy cried in a quivering voice as the figure was illuminated by the firelight.  
  
***********  
  
Joey sighed, slumping down to his knees in the sand as Duke wiped beads of sweat off of his forehead.  
  
"I'm exhausted!" The blonde-haired boy groaned, his shoulders sagging. "And I'm tired of walking. Whose dumb idea was it to go out into the desert in the middle of the night with no shoes on?" he demanded angrily, glaring at the three others.  
  
Pearl, eyes half-closed, shrugged and yawned, sitting down in the sand as well. Duke felt a blush creep up his neck, but was determined to act cool about it.  
  
"Listen, Joey," he replied calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was my idea to escape from the zombies and your idea not to wear shoes. Besides which; if we had all been listening to YOU we'd still be in our beds, dead by now."  
  
Joey gritted his teeth but didn't reply. Amber sighed, a soft breeze blowing by.  
  
"I wish we knew where we were, though," she mumbled, her shoulders slumping as well. "We're lost."  
  
Duke sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides.  
  
"Okay, so we are," he replied, trying to remain calm. "We can just follow our footsteps back to the Gravewatcher place and then we'll hopefully, those zombies will be gone by then."  
  
"And the other's will be okay," Amber added looking worried.  
  
Duke nodded, taking a step backwards, when suddenly, the ground beneath them began to rumble and give way.  
  
"What the heck?!" Joey cried, leaping to his feet, but he, as well as the others, were already being pulled down, down, into the ground below.  
  
"Help!" Pearl cried as the four were swallowed up by the sands and fell down to the darkness below.  
  
***********  
  
Ishizu sighed, folding her hands in her lap as she sat down outside. It had been nearly half and hour, and yet no one could find any trace of Yugi, Bakura, Seto, Mokuba, or any of the others.  
  
"It's like they just disappeared," Tristan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck furiously. "Where could they all have gone?! Did they evaporate into thin air or something?!"  
  
Taerro stood up from where he had been examining the ground and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"Actually, no, Tristan," he replied studiously, looking over at the brown-haired boy. "If you'll notice, there are three sets of footsteps going in that direction..."  
  
He pointed in the direction of the nearest city.  
  
"And two sets going that way," Taerro added, pointing toward the other side of the Gravewatcher dwelling.  
  
Tea's eyes lit up.  
  
"That's right! And I saw two sets of footsteps going out of the other exit on the other side!" she exclaimed, looking excited, and then depressed. "But they just disappeared into nowhere after a few steps."  
  
She sighed, looking down at the ground with sad eyes.  
  
"Do you think they were abducted by the Vampire Lord?" Serenity asked in a shaky voice, biting her lip, looking extremely worried.  
  
Malik stuck the sword he'd taken from one of the zombies into the ground in front of him in frustration.  
  
"They couldn't just vanish, and the zombies would have left tracks of their own if they'd taken them," he murmured, trying to make everything add up. "If three of the eight missing are in the city, that only leaves five unaccounted for."  
  
Ishizu nodded.  
  
"But where could they have gone to?" she whispered, closing her eyes.  
  
Yami narrowed his eyes in confusion.  
  
"I'll try to contact Yugi mentally and see where he and Bakura are," he informed Ishizu, closing his eyes and concentrating. "Then maybe we'll start to get some answers here."  
  
**********  
  
~Yugi...~  
  
Yugi stopped in his tracks, causing Bakura to bump into him from behind. Bakura blinked, looking at Yugi, who looked distracted. The two had been wandering through the passageways for about ten minutes now, and Yugi had suddenly just stopped.  
  
"Yugi...?" Bakura asked, blinking at the spiky-haired boy. "Are you alright?"  
  
Yugi nodded, closing his eyes and focusing on the voice that was calling out to him.  
  
"Yami?" he asked, hoping it was his spirit partner that was speaking to him.  
  
He shuddered to think of who else it could be as he waited for a reply.  
  
"Yugi!" Came Yami's strong voice through the mental link. "Where are you and Bakura? We can't seem to find you ANYWHERE outside! Are you...?"  
  
Yugi cut off his friend in mid-sentence to answer.  
  
"We're fine, Yami," he assured the spirit. "We're just..."  
  
He trailed off as he looked up at the ceiling, which was dark and shadowy.  
  
"Just?!" Yami asked, feeling nervous.  
  
Yugi sighed, wishing he hadn't made Yami so nervous.  
  
"Bakura and I are fine, we're just underground somewhere, that's all," Yugi replied, as if being stuck underground in an unknown area was nothing at all.  
  
"You're underground?! In the house?" Yami cried.  
  
Yugi sighed.  
  
"No...we just sort of, well...fell through the sands and into this weird dark hallway underneath," he replied. "I don't know exactly WHERE we are, but I have a feeling this place is linked to the Vampire Lord."  
  
Yami nodded, calming down.  
  
"Alright, I'll come down too," he informed Yugi. "Where were you when you fell?"  
  
"Er..." Yugi muttered, trying to remember where the two had been. "We were near the rocks above the house when the ground suddenly just pulled us right down."  
  
"Alright," Yami agreed. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Be careful, and contact me if you need anything, all right?"  
  
Yugi nodded, smiling.  
  
"All right, Yami," he replied. "You be careful yourself."  
  
Bakura tilted his head to the side, feeling confused as Yugi opened his eyes again and shook his head to clear his thoughts. Bakura walked in front of Yugi, looking curiously at the boy.  
  
"Yugi...?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.  
  
Yugi smiled at Bakura, laughing.  
  
"I'm okay, Bakura," he replied, scratching his cheek. "Yami just wanted to know where we were. Apparently they've been looking for us all over up there."  
  
Bakura bit his lip.  
  
"Oh my," he agreed. "I'm glad you told him where we were."  
  
Yugi nodded, gulping.  
  
"He said he'd come down and try to find us, but in the meantime, we've got to keep our eyes pealed for anything weird or suspicious," he informed his white-haired friend.  
  
Bakura nodded.  
  
"Fine with me," he replied, shivering slightly as he rubbed his arms. "Although, I'd like to find a way out of this pit as soon as possible."  
  
Yugi sighed, nodding as he started walking toward the next passageway.  
  
"So would I, Bakura," he replied wishfully.  
  
***********  
  
Duke moaned, opening his eyes slowly, realizing he was lying on some sort of cool stone. He made a movement to sit up, but realized he couldn't. Something heavy was spread overtop of him, weighing him down.  
  
"Ow..." he muttered, forcing himself up and the heavy object rolled off onto the floor next to him. "Huh? Joey?"  
  
The black-haired boy blinked as he realized the heavy "object" that had been on top of him was none other than Joey, who looked unconscious. Looking around, Duke saw Amber and Pearl, both of whom were covered in dirt and were standing up.  
  
"Yuck!" Pearl cried, trying to rub ash off of her face, but only succeeding in smearing it on her cheek. "How did we end up in here?!"  
  
Amber winced.  
  
"Not so loud, Pearl," she murmured, slapping her pajama bottoms, trying to beat the dust out. "Are you okay, Duke?"  
  
Duke nodded, leaning over to Joey and shaking his shoulder.  
  
"Yo, Joey? You all right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Joey moaned and rolled into a thick pile of dirt and ash in the corner, covering himself in the black soot as he pulled himself to his feet.  
  
"Yech, what is this?" Joey mumbled, looking down at his black clothes and hands.  
  
Duke stifled a laugh.  
  
"Er, dust and stuff, you know," he replied casually. "Just the stuff you usually find in old cave-like places under the sand."  
  
Joey blinked.  
  
"Oooh yeah!" he cried, recalling how they'd gotten there. "We fell through the ground and into this weird place," he muttered, looking around at the ground. "Creepy."  
  
Amber nodded.  
  
"Well, sorta," she admitted, looking around curiously. "What I'd like to know is WHERE we are."  
  
Pearl huffed, crossing her arms.  
  
"I want to know where the exit is!" she said in irritation.  
  
Duke smiled and patted Pearl's head gently.  
  
"I know," he replied. "We just have to find out where that is," he sighed, looking down both ends of the corridor. "Any suggestions on which way to start?"  
  
There was a yell as Joey jumped and ran over to where Amber, Pearl, and Duke were standing. Duke blinked.  
  
"What's with you, Joey?" Amber asked, tilting her head to the side.  
  
With a shaking finger, Joey pointed forward at a large, black and purple, rather sluggish monster creeping toward them, his eyes blank, just like the zombies back at Malik's home.  
  
"I suggest going in the direction he's NOT!" Joey yelled.  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter 10  
  
^_^! Review!  
  
"Yes, and next chapter up soon!" 


	11. Chapter Eleven: Conflict

Chapter Eleven: Conflict  
  
Notes: ^_^! Thanks for reviewing! And I'm gonna use your comment, Alan, on Joey's idea about the zombie. XD Thanks.  
  
"And here's chapter eleven!"  
  
***********  
  
Chapter Eleven: Conflict  
  
Seto gripped the Millennium Rod as he narrowed his eyes, watching the dark figure walk into the room. It looked like another zombie of some sort, with rotting, purple flesh and so thin that its ribs nearly poked through as he walked forward. Its eyes, however, were the thing that set it apart from all the other zombies. Its eyes were clear and focused.  
  
"He's clearly not possessed by anyone, or anything," Priest Seto murmured, studying the figure as it stumbled into the room, scanning its three guests.  
  
"Ah...three more victims for me today," It murmured, moving its eyes back and forth, the eyeballs bulging in its sockets.  
  
Priest Seto raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Three?" he asked, surprised the zombie could see him.  
  
The zombie smirked, stopping just before the large metal carving on the ground, the fire still making it appear as though it were moving somehow, like water in the wind.  
  
"Yes, three," It replied with a grin, baring its yellow teeth. "I can see spirits and let me tell you, they are very nice when boiled."  
  
Priest Seto paled.  
  
  
  
"Boiled?" he repeated in disbelief.  
  
The zombie nodded, gesturing to the metal plate on the ground.  
  
"You were wise not to step on my Firewater floor," It murmured, grinning still. "It is a pity, but you were clever, I suppose. Had you stepped on it, you'd have fallen into the firewater pit."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow, the zombies words not making any sense to him.  
  
"What do you mean, "the firewater pit?" he repeated, beginning to get frustrated. "It's just a metal carving on the floor."  
  
The zombie smirked, picking up a twig from the floor. The three watched as the zombie lifted it over the metal plate and dropped it, where it sizzled and fell beneath the surface as soon as it came into contact with what should have been hard stone.  
  
"Impossible!" Seto cried, his eyes wide.  
  
Mokuba clung to his coat in fear.  
  
"It just...sunk," he murmured, looking up at Seto. "Niisama, like the metal was liquid."  
  
Priest Seto gritted his teeth angrily.  
  
"The Firewater Zombie," he murmured, Seto and Mokuba looking up at him curiously.  
  
"Hm?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Priest Seto sighed, looking down at the metal plate.  
  
"The Vampire Lord must be reviving his old slaves as well as creating new ones," Priest Seto explained, glaring over at the zombie. "When he completely drains away the life energy of a victim, that person becomes a shell; a mindless zombie fated to do his bidding for eternity."  
  
Mokuba gulped.  
  
"Yikes," he murmured, casting a quick glance over at the Firewater Zombie. "That's not good."  
  
Priest Seto shook his head.  
  
"No, but fortunately, the zombies fall when their master does," he continued. "Meaning all his followers from the ancient times died when he did. But now that he's back at his full power, the zombies must have revived as well."  
  
Seto huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
"Be as that may, that doesn't explain what this zombie is," he said icily, glaring at the metal. "And what this plate of metal really is."  
  
"I'm getting to that," Priest Seto continued, not taking his eyes off the disgusting zombie. "The Firewater Zombie was one of the few zombies that gained a mind of its own. It's a rare incident, but it can happen. This zombie was one of them, and after gaining a mind of its own, began to use the firewater magic to turn plates of metal into boiling water in which he trapped his victims."  
  
Mokuba gulped.  
  
  
  
"B...boiled?" he repeated, looking horrified.  
  
The Firewater zombie nodded, smirking, showing off its yellowed teeth once more.  
  
"Yes, boiled," he replied, looking down at the ground in front of him. "But since you were clever enough not to get trapped, I'll give you a choice: Either surrender yourselves now, or one of you can duel against me for your freedom."  
  
Seto narrowed his eyes.  
  
"I'll duel you," he said, looking determined.  
  
Priest Seto's eyebrows went up.  
  
  
  
"Seto Kaiba, maybe it would be better if I dueled against him," he suggested, but Seto cut him off.  
  
"You probably haven't dueled for thousands of years," Seto pointed out. "And I'm ready to duel, right now."  
  
Mokuba stepped back a little, his eyes shining with worry.  
  
"Be careful, niisama," he murmured, clenching a fist at his side.  
  
Priest Seto sighed.  
  
"All right then," he replied with a nod.  
  
The Firewater zombie's smile twisted into a smirk as he shook his head.  
  
"You don't look very menacing wearing your nightclothes, I'm afraid, but I should have known you wouldn't go down without a fight," he sighed, looking as though Seto was merely wasting his time.  
  
Seto gritted his teeth.  
  
"You've got that right," he snapped.  
  
The Firewater zombie snapped his fingers, and in an instant, both he and Seto disappeared in puffs of red and blue smoke. Priest Seto and Mokuba's eyes widened in horror.  
  
"Niisama!"  
  
***********  
  
Duke, in spite of the situation, rolled his eyes as he pulled Pearl back with him as he, Joey, and Amber backed away from the disgusting, rotting zombie that was coming toward them.  
  
"That would mean running straight AT him, Joey," Duke sighed.  
  
Joey growled, furiously looking over at Duke.  
  
"Well what I meant was let's not go in the direction that he IS in!" Joey yelled, Amber elbowing him.  
  
"Quiet! Or else you're going to attract a lot more," she hissed, narrowing her blue eyes. "These zombies seem to move in packs, not just one pop up here and there every now and again."  
  
Joey clapped his hands over his mouth, irritated, but not wanting to have to deal with SEVERAL disgusting, rotting zombies. Pearl bit her lip, looking horrified.  
  
"What do we do, Duke?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.  
  
Amber reached down in her pocket and felt around. To her delight, she still had several marbles left in her pajama pocket. She'd put some in there just in case after Seto had beaten off the first zombie.  
  
"Duke," she whispered, looking down at his pocket, which was clearly bulging with dice. "How about we take a gamble on this one and then run for it?" she asked with a wink.  
  
For a minute, Duke looked stumped, then he followed Amber's gaze and realized she was looking at his pocket. Pulling out a handful of dice, he nodded, grinning.  
  
"Sure," he agreed, pushing Pearl behind him. "Joey. You and Pearl run when we start throwing the dice, okay?"  
  
Joey took Pearl's hand and pulled her back, quickly.  
  
"No problems there," he replied shakily. "But what are you gonna do?"  
  
Duke grinned as the monster raised up its slimy arms, preparing to strike.  
  
"You'll see," he replied as Amber got ready.  
  
"GO!" The two yelled in chorus, hurling the dice and marbles at the zombie, who roared as his felt the tiny rock-like items against his skin.  
  
Joey and Pearl took off, Amber and Duke throwing the last of the marbles and dice at the monster before sprinting after the two, the zombie running after them, roaring in a mad fury.  
  
"You know what?" Amber cried, feeling uneasy. "I don't think that was such a good idea!"  
  
Duke nodded, feeling worried.  
  
"Yeah," he called back. "I think all we did was just enrage it!"  
  
"Oh, great plan!" Joey yelled back at them sarcastically, turning a corner sharply. "Any more bright ideas?"  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, Yami had explained to Ishizu that Yugi and Bakura were both safe and sound, and underneath the sand somehow. Ishizu, Malik, and the others had decided to go searching for another way in as Yami went underneath the surface himself.  
  
"Be careful, Pharaoh," Ishizu whispered to herself, swallowing.  
  
"Okay, let's see if we can't find another entrance to the underground place around here somewhere," Tristan sighed, digging the toe of his shoe into the ground.  
  
Taerro nodded.  
  
"Okay then, that seems like the most logical thing to do," he agreed, walking after the others.  
  
***********  
  
After a few seconds of traveling through dirt and sand, Yami came out into a strange and dark underground tunnel. Blinking, he looked down at the dimly lit passageways, hoping for some sign of Yugi or Bakura.  
  
"Aibou?" he called, knowing that if Yugi was down there, he would hear the call of his partner. "Yugi?"  
  
Biting his lip, Yami floated down to the bottom of the tunnel and began walking quickly down it, his eyes open for a sign of any movement from Yugi, or from someone much less friendly.  
  
"Kuri!"  
  
Kuribo appeared beside its master, looking cheerful and ready for work.  
  
"Kuri Kuri!" It cried, floating near Yami's shoulder.  
  
Yami nodded, though he didn't smile.  
  
"Alright Kuribo," he replied half-heartedly, worried about Yugi. "You can help look for Yugi and Bakura."  
  
Kuribo nodded, looking pleased to be of service.  
  
"Kuri!"  
  
***********  
  
Priest Seto looked around, baffled, when suddenly there was another puff of blue and red smoke, and several feet above the Firewater stone, Seto and the zombie reappeared, as if suspended in the air.  
  
"Niisama!" Mokuba cried as Seto looked around, still holding the Millennium Rod in his hand, looking confused.  
  
"What the...?" he muttered, the Firewater zombie chuckling happily.  
  
"Firewater magic is suspending you above the metal plate," he informed Seto. "You need not worry about falling...just yet."  
  
Seto clenched his free fist.  
  
"Let's just get this duel out of the way," he snapped at the zombie, who clucked its tongue as if Seto had done something wrong.  
  
"Tisk, tisk," It murmured, as a deck appeared in midair beside him. "Modern mortals just have no patience at all these days."  
  
Seto growled, pulling his own deck out of his coat pocket. The zombies lips curled into a smile.  
  
"Just set it down beside you," It insisted, Seto narrowing his eyes.  
  
"I don't trust you," Seto replied snappishly. "There's no boundary between the air and the ground on my side, is there?"  
  
The zombie's eyes widened.  
  
"My, my, that's two traps you haven't fallen for," he exclaimed. "I must be dealing with a smart one then. True, I haven't placed a boundary over there for your deck. You'll have to use one of your monsters for that purpose."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow.  
  
"A monster?" he repeated, looking through his deck.  
  
Priest Seto nodded from where he was watching, a few feet away.  
  
"Just pick a monster that won't be of much use in the duel," he suggested, Seto nodding impatiently.  
  
"I summon Dragon Dwelling in the Cave!" Seto declared, a long green dragon appearing beside him, by the power of the Millennium Rod.  
  
  
  
The dragon lay down and Seto rested his deck on the creature's long snout, feeling slightly suspicious.  
  
"Good," The Firewater zombie complimented. "Now that we've got our decks in place, here are the rules: for every life point you lose, you go down further toward the Firewater plate. If you reach zero, you are boiled alive. If YOU lose, not only are you boiled, but the spirit and the boy are as well."  
  
Mokuba bit his lip.  
  
"You've gotta win Seto!" Mokuba called, feeling apprehensive.  
  
Boiled alive?!  
  
Priest Seto nodded.  
  
"Also remember that it takes energy to summon monsters," he reminded his reincarnate. "You'll have to make decisions about which monsters to summon."  
  
Seto nodded, glaring at the zombie.  
  
"I know," he replied firmly. "Now let's duel!"  
  
***********  
  
Meanwhile, Bakura and Yugi were hurrying down the hallways, trying to find a way out. Bakura tripped over a stone, falling to the floor with a crash, the Millennium Ring sliding into a corner.  
  
"Bakura!" Yugi cried, stopping and reaching out a hand to help up his friend. "Are you okay?"  
  
Bakura nodded, wincing slightly as he realized he'd torn a hole in his pajama pants.   
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, taking Yugi's hand and pulling himself up.  
  
  
  
As he looked around for the Millennium Ring, he suddenly gasped, his eyes widening. Yugi looked up and gasped as well as three zombies limped down the hallway and right toward them, all of them carrying weapons of various types.  
  
"Oh no!" Yugi cried, biting his lip as he looked down at the puzzle.  
  
"What now, Yugi?" Bakura asked, his eyes still on the Millennium Ring as the zombies passed by it, their blank eyes only fixated on Bakura and Yugi, not the Millennium Item.  
  
Yugi gulped.  
  
"I'm going to try to use the Millennium Puzzle to summon a defender," he announced, feeling completely unsure of his plan. "If you can reach the Millennium Ring, maybe you can help out and we can defeat these zombies."  
  
Bakura gulped.  
  
"Are you sure about this, Yugi?" he asked nervously, his brown-eyes wide.  
  
Yugi sighed.  
  
"Not really, but it's the only option we've got," he replied as the zombies began to close in around them.  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter 11  
  
^_^! Review!  
  
"^-^ Yep!" 


	12. Chapter Twelve: Duel

Chapter Twelve: Duel  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing. And in answer to some reviews, yeah, I suppose the dice and marbles would get costly after a while, but maybe they can retrieve them afterwards. XD I don't think they'll be able to in this situation, though. And believe me, the Firewater zombie enjoys boiled anything. ^_~  
  
"And here's chapter twelve!"  
  
***********  
  
Chapter Twelve: Duel  
  
Seto faced the Firewater zombie with narrowed eyes as he drew the top five cards from his deck. Mokuba and Priest Seto watched anxiously as the Firewater zombie also drew his cards and smirked at Seto.  
  
"The first move is yours, mortal," he announced with a sneering grin. "After all, you'll need all the advantage you can get to defeat me."  
  
Seto huffed, drawing his next card.  
  
"We'll see about that," he muttered, glancing down at his hand. "Okay, good," he thought to himself, playing a monster card down on the back of the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave.   
  
"I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode!" Seto declared, the Millennium Rod lighting up as a huge yellow machine with a large cannon on its back appeared in front of Seto, its stats 1800/1500. "And I'll play a card face down and end my turn with that."  
  
The Firewater zombie smirked as he drew his card with his bony hand.  
  
"And I'll counter your move with a defense monster," he replied, grinning malevolently as he played a card horizontally in front of him, the face down card appearing before him. "And end my move with that."  
  
Seto drew another card, narrowing his eyes at the zombie's move.  
  
"What kind of a strategy does this Firewater zombie have?" he murmured to himself as he looked at his hand. "But whatever it is, I'm not going to lose to it."  
  
Priest Seto looked at the face down card, biting his lip. He remembered the dueling ways of the Firewater zombie quite well. He only hoped his reincarnate wouldn't fall victim to its traps.  
  
"I summon Blood Vors in attack mode!" Seto declared, summoning the ax-wielding monster, its stats 1900/1200. "And I'll have my Blood Vors attack your defense monster!"  
  
Blood Vors lunged forward at the card, which flipped over to reveal a large machanic turtle of some sort. Blood Vors slashed his ax through the machine, causing it to explode. The Firewater zombie, however, grinned.  
  
"Thanks for destroying my UFO Turtle," he said, a card appearing in front of him. "It allows me to search my deck for any fire attributed monster with less than 1500 attack points and put it on the field in attack mode. I choose Burning Beast!"  
  
A large molten moster appeared on the field, looking quite like a lump of lava and rocks with eyes. Its stats were 1500/1000. Seto smiled, feeling content with the situation.  
  
"That may spare you a few life points, but that monster isn't staying on the field for long!" Seto declared, looking at his X-Head Cannon. "X-Head! Destroy Burning Beast!"  
  
The X-Head Cannon shot out a heavy blast at the molten monster, which immediately was destroyed in the explosion. The Firewater Zombie's life points fell to 3700, although he didn't look too upset at the move.  
  
"I'll end my turn with that," Seto declared as the Firewater Zombie was lowered a few inches toward the metal firewater plate.  
  
************  
  
Yugi glanced over at Bakura nervously, hoping that his friend would be able to make it to the ring in time.  
  
"Okay," he whispered as the zombies began closing in around them. "I'm going to summon a monster to distract them for a minute while you go get the ring, okay? Then you'll summon a monster with its powers and help me defeat them."  
  
Bakura gulped. Summoning a monster meant tapping into the power of the Millennium Ring, something he was definitely not looking forward to doing. But...it was their only chance of escape, and if he didn't do it, he knew Yugi wouldn't have enough power on his own to defeat them.  
  
Bakura nodded bravely, resigned to his duty.  
  
"All right, Yugi," he replied boldly, eyes fixated on the glittering ring as the puzzle lit up wildly with a bright yellow light.  
  
"I summon the Dark Magician!" Yugi cried, raising up his favorite card, the power of the Millennium Puzzle summoning the real monster into the realm in front of his master.  
  
The zombies lunged as the Dark Magician unleashed a dark magic attack. Bakura ducked under one of the zombie's outstretched arms and sprinted over to the corner where his ring had landed.  
  
"Gotcha," he murmured, grasping it tightly as a zombie behind him grabbed the Dark Magician's wrist and held down his staff. "They're ganging up on him," Bakura murmured worriedly, closing his eyes and trying to tap into the Millennium Ring.  
  
"Bakura!" Yugi cried, worried that the Dark Magician wouldn't last much longer with all the zombies ganging up on him like that.  
  
"I summon...the Skull Archfiend of Lighting!" Bakura cried, his eyes landing on one of his most powerful fiends in his deck.  
  
The ring sparked and a moment later, the hideous skull appeared in front of him, lighting sizzling around him. Yugi grinned, spotting the new monster, who looked poised for attack.  
  
"Now! Skull Archfiend!" Bakura cried, pointing toward the zombie army. "Use your thunder on those zombies!"  
  
As the skull monster attacked the zombies, the Dark Magician was freed from their grasp, and immediately began assisting the skull in destroying them. Bakura felt his energy sapping away, and he realized that since in the real game, the owner of the Skull Archfiend had to pay life point at each standby phase to keep up the monster, the same must be true for spirit energy in summoning the monster for real.  
  
"Good job Bakura!" Yugi cried, ducking around the battle, where the Skull Archfiend and the Dark Magician were finishing off the rest of the zombies, and running over to his white-haired friend. "You did it!"  
  
  
  
Bakura nodded shakily, the ring still glowing brightly in his hands. He glanced down at it, feeling uneasy. He'd done the very thing he'd wanted to avoid; he'd used the power of the Millennium Ring, which meant that the evil spirit inside the ring could have taken control of him once again.  
  
But the boy didn't feel anything different, and definitely not like how he had felt when he was being possessed, so he tried to relax a little.  
  
"Bakura?" Yugi asked, cocking his head to the side. "Are you okay?"  
  
Bakura nodded hastily, and held up the Skull Archfiend of Lightning card as the two monsters finished off the last of the zombies.  
  
"I'm fine, Yugi," Bakura assured his friend, the ring glowing brighter. "Skull! Return!"  
  
The Skull Archfiend vanished into the glowing card, and both the ring and the card returned to their normal appearance and the glow vanished. Yugi nodded, recalling his Dark Magician as well.  
  
"Great job, Dark Magician," he complimented his monster with a smile, looking over at Bakura. "That's a cool card you had there, Bakura."  
  
Bakura forced a meek smile.  
  
"Yes, it's one of my newest ones," he replied, looking down at the glittery foil that covered the picture. "It's almost like your Summoned Skull."  
  
Yugi nodded.  
  
"Yep," he agreed, looking around. "We'd better keep moving though. I think we're on the right track to where the Vampire Lord is hiding out in this maze."  
  
Bakura nodded.  
  
"Yes, I agree," he replied, hurrying after Yugi down the hallway once again.  
  
  
  
***********  
  
Pearl gritted her teeth as Joey pulled her around yet another dusty corner as the huge, gooey purple zombie followed them, Amber, and Duke in hot pursuit, angered by the dice and marbles that Amber and Duke had thrown at it.  
  
"What now?!" Joey yelled back at Amber and Duke, hoping they were still following.  
  
He wasn't about to turn around and check, since then he'd end up coming face to face with that purple zombie.  
  
"I don't know!" Duke yelled back, catching up with Joey, Amber alongside him as they ran.  
  
"Me either!" Amber shouted, feeling helpless. "All the dice and marbles do are enrage the thing!"  
  
  
  
Pearl sighed, pushing her pearl pendant out of her face as it had flapped up at her while running. Then, here eyes widened.   
  
"My pearl!" she cried, slowing down and jerking her wrist out of Joey's grasp.  
  
"Whoa! Pearl, come on!" Joey cried, skidding to a stop a few feet ahead of her.  
  
Amber and Duke did likewise, looking at Pearl frantically.  
  
"Pearl, this isn't the time!" Duke yelled at the girl as she glared at the zombie who was rapidly approaching.  
  
"Come on, Pearl!" Amber cried, wondering what her cousin was thinking.  
  
Pearl narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists.  
  
"Go...ice powers!" Pearl yelled, as loudly as she could, feeling anger rushing through her as the pearl lit up brilliantly.  
  
Amber, Joey, and Duke's eyes widened as the purple zombie suddenly stopped in its tracks, its eyes widening as a heavy sheet of ice suddenly covered its entire body, freezing him underneath it. Pearl sighed, opening her eyes again and grinning as Amber came running over to her.  
  
"Whoa!" Joey cried, tapping the iced-zombie. "You just froze him like...that!"  
  
Pearl smirked, nodding.  
  
"I did it," she replied, figuring Joey had said something along those lines, looking highly pleased with herself. "A lot better than throwing dice and marbles at it, eh?"  
  
Duke laughed, looking slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Okay, you've got us there," he replied with a sigh, grinning.  
  
"But it was still a nice move there," Amber complimented, looking at the ice-zombie. "That was great thinking!"  
  
Pearl blushed, looking happy.  
  
  
  
************  
  
"My move!" The Firewater zombie declared, picking its next card of the top of his deck and grinning. "Perfect," he murmured, placing a card in front of him again, face down. "I'll play this trap card face down."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Seems like he has a fire-based deck," he thought to himself, making a mental note. "Which means most of his cards will revolve around powering up fire monsters."  
  
Priest Seto nodded, remembering how the Firewater zombie had played very similar moves back the ancient times.  
  
"Watch out for those traps," Priest Seto called over to his reincarnate, knowing that it would be illegal to give more advice than that to him, as much as he wanted to.  
  
  
  
"You can do it, niisama!" Mokuba called encouragingly, smiling up at his brother.  
  
"And I'll play a monster in defense mode again," The Firewater zombie declared, setting another card horizontally face down again. "And I'll end my turn with that."  
  
Seto narrowed his eyes. Again with the facedown cards, he thought to himself as he picked his own card, examining his hand. Is there a strategy behind this that I'm not seeing?  
  
He spotted a Blue Eyes White Dragon in his hand and was about to play it when he stopped himself.  
  
"Since monsters require energy to summon, one like a Blue Eyes is going to take a heavy toll," he murmured, looking at his other monsters. "Maybe if I summon something else it won't cost as much."  
  
"I play Emerald Dragon in attack mode, sacrificing my Blood Vors to do so!" Seto declared feeling a portion of his energy weaken as a large green dragon appeared on his field in place of the warrior, its stats 2400/1400.  
  
The Firewater zombie smirked.  
  
"You're wasting your energy, foolish mortal," he taunted, but Seto didn't look phased.  
  
"Luster Dragon, attack the defense monster!" he cried, pointing forward the green dragon blasted away what appeared to be a blue bear of some sort.  
  
"Ha!" The Firewater zombie declared, his eyes lighting up with glee. "You've activated Mother Grizzly's special ability!"  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow.  
  
"When this monster is destroyed as a result of battle, I can summon one water attributed monster from my deck to the field in attack mode," The Firewater zombie grinned, a monster appearing on the field.  
  
"A water monster?" Seto murmured to himself, trying to work out the zombie's strategy. "Fire and water monsters are usually against each other, not placed in the same deck. What is this guy's strategy?"  
  
"I use Mother Grizzly's magic to summon Freezing Beast in attack mode!" The zombie cried, a ice-covered monster with eyes, much like the Burning Beast, appearing on his field in attack mode, its stats 1500/1000 as well.  
  
"This makes no sense," Seto murmured, narrowing his eyes at the monster.  
  
************  
  
Meanwhile, Pearl stopped and looked down at her chest suddenly, where the pearl she always wore had suddenly lit up brightly, emitting a strange white light, just as it did whenever she activated its powers.  
  
"Huh?" she murmured, picking up the pearl in her fingers and examining it, the others stopping as well and looking at it curiously. "Why is the pearl lighting up like this? I haven't used its magic or anything..."  
  
Amber narrowed her eyes.  
  
"I don't know," she replied, looking seriously down at the pearl. "But one thing's for sure, I bet its not lighting up for no reason at all."  
  
Duke nodded in agreement.  
  
"It must be reacting to something around here..." he murmured thoughtfully, Joey looking completely lost. "But what?"  
  
************  
  
End of Chapter 12  
  
^_^ REVIEW!  
  
"And can anyone guess what the pearl is reacting to?" ^_~ 


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Trapped

Chapter Thirteen: Trapped  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing, and thanks to Alan and Mamono for card suggestions in this duel. ^^!  
  
  
  
"And here's Chapter 13!"  
  
*************  
  
Chapter Thirteen: Trapped  
  
Seto narrowed his eyes at the Freezing Beast.  
  
"What's the point of all this?" he thought to himself. "He's summoning monsters of different types with no apparent union..."  
  
The boy stopped and looked closely at the Freezing Beast, then he thought back his the Firewater Zombie's last monster; Burning Beast. Seto's eyes widened as he started to realize what was going on here.  
  
"The Freezing Beast and the Burning Beast, like my X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head, are union monsters, with the ability to equip onto each other like magic cards and enhance the other's attack power, along with other abilities," Seto murmured as the Firewater Zombie smirked.  
  
"X-Head Cannon!" Seto declared, determined to get rid of the second piece of the union before another Burning Beast showed up. "Destroy the Freezing Beast!"  
  
The X-Head Cannon used its cannon to launch a missile at the Freezing Beast, causing another explosion which destroyed the ice-monster. The Firewater zombie's life points went down another 300 points, reducing him to 3400, and he went down a few more inches toward the Firewater plate.  
  
  
  
"I'll end my turn with that," Seto declared, narrowing his eyes at the zombie. "Your move."  
  
Mokuba grinned.  
  
"You've got him on the run, niisama!" Mokuba cried, punching a fist into the air victoriously.  
  
A thin smile spread over the Firewater Zombie's mouth as he glanced down at his hand.  
  
"Oh is that so?" he murmured, placing a magic card on the field. "Well, I activate Monster Reborn, reviving my Burning Beast!"  
  
Seto gritted his teeth as the molten monster returned to the field in attack mode.  
  
"Then I special summon the Aqua Spirit by removing my Freezing Beast from my graveyard," The Firewater Zombie announced, a water-goddess type monster appearing on the field, her attack and defense 1600/1200.  
  
Priest Seto's eyes widened.  
  
"He's calling out so many monsters in one turn!" he exclaimed. "And powerful ones too."  
  
Mokuba gulped.  
  
"Next I activate my face down card, Frontline Base," The Firewater Zombie announced. "With this card active, I can special summon one four-star or lower union monster each turn. So I will use its ability to summon another Freezing Beast in attack mode!"  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow. Although he was summoning several monsters in one turn, it didn't matter how many he had unless they were powerful enough to beat down his own, as of now, none of which were.  
  
The Firewater Zombie noticed Seto's confident look and smirked slyly.  
  
"Don't think that's all, human," he murmured, pulling out two more cards from his hand. "I'll play a card facedown and normal summon Little Chimera in attack mode, raising all my fire monsters by 500 and decreasing all my water monsters by 400, including Little Chimera herself."  
  
A cat-like monster appeared on the field, with eyes like fire. The attack powers of all the monsters on the field suddenly changed, Aqua Spirit and Freezing Beast going down to 1300 and 1100, and Burning Beast going up to 2000.  
  
"And for my last play of the turn, I'll use Freezing Beast's special ability to equip itself onto my Burning Beast, making them one monster," The Firewater Zombie announced, the blue monster attaching itself to the red one, becoming an equip magic card.  
  
"Oh no!" Mokuba cried, looking up at the brand new field of monsters the Firewater Zombie had managed to summon, all in one turn. "Can niisama still beat all of those monsters?" he asked, looking up at Priest Seto worriedly.  
  
Priest Seto sighed.  
  
"If he plays his cards correctly he can, but it's not going to be easy," he replied, looking back up at the duel. "Let's just hope he can do it before his life points reach zero."  
  
Mokuba nodded, biting his lip worriedly.  
  
*************  
  
"Yugi!"  
  
Yugi and Bakura stopped, turning around to see Yami flying over to them, looking concerned. Yugi smiled, happy to see that his friend had found them after all.  
  
"Yami!" he cried, grinning. "You made it."  
  
Yami nodded, looking from Yugi to Bakura, studying them to make sure neither had been injured.  
  
"Were you two using the duel monsters?" Yami asked, having felt the presence of several monsters summoned to the real world.  
  
Yugi nodded honestly.  
  
"Yeah, we summoned the Dark Magician and the Skull Archfiend to help fight off a bunch of zombies," he replied. "They were great."  
  
Yami nodded, narrowing his eyes. He still felt the presence of monster somewhere close by, although he couldn't place his finger on which ones...and why the were there. Shaking his head, as the clear his thoughts, he looked back down at the two boys.  
  
"I can sense that we are nearing the Vampire Lord," Yami explained darkly, narrowing his eyes.  
  
Yugi nodded.  
  
"I know," he replied, glancing down the dark corridors in front of him. "I have a feeling we're coming up to where he's been hiding out all this time."  
  
"And then we'll confront him," Bakura finished quietly, slightly nervous.  
  
Yami nodded.  
  
"Yes," he agreed, floating forward. "By the way, Yugi?" he asked, turning around again. "Have you come across Kaiba, Mokuba, Duke, or any of the others?"  
  
Yugi shook his head, looking surprised.  
  
"No, why?" he asked curiously.  
  
Yami sighed, continuing forward.  
  
"Nothing," he replied. "Let's go."  
  
Slowly, Yugi nodded and he and Bakura hurried after the Pharaoh's spirit.  
  
************  
  
Amber sighed, wiping beads of sweat off of her forehead. It was hot down in the corridors, to no surprise. There appeared to be no exit, at least that she and the other three had stumbled upon, that lead up to the surface again.  
  
  
  
"I'm tired of being down here," Pearl whined, bored with staring at her glowing pearl and now lagging along behind the others.  
  
Joey rolled his eyes, having not understood what Pearl had just said, in English, but figured it was just another complaint.  
  
"Does she do anything but whine?" he hissed at Duke, who looked too tired himself to care to reply to the comment. "And freeze stuff?" Joey added, heaving a sigh.  
  
Amber sighed, knowing that the enclosed feeling was making her a bit on edge herself.  
  
"Guys, let's not start up with insults," she sighed, letting her shoulders sag as she continued to walk. "And we ALL want to get out of here, Pearl," Amber added in English to her cousin, who sighed and crossed her arms over her chest in irritation.  
  
"I know, but it's getting creepy down here," Pearl muttered, looking at her pearl, which continued to glow brightly. "And why the heck won't my pearl just go back to normal?!"  
  
Duke bit his lip.  
  
"Maybe the Vampire Lord is close by," he suggested, feeling uneasy. "Or it's reacting to someone, or something else in this place."  
  
Pearl shivered, moving closer to Amber.  
  
"I wish I'd never wanted to come," she murmured, Amber putting her arm around Pearl's shoulder.  
  
  
  
************  
  
Tristan kicked at a rock in irritation, only succeeding in stubbing his toe painfully.  
  
"Yow!" he cried, shaking his foot as he bit his lip. "This whole chase has turned into us trying to find all our friends instead of us trying to track down the Vampire Lord."  
  
Taerro shook his head.  
  
"Not if the Vampire Lord kidnapped our friends, Tristan," he reminded the brown-haired boy seriously. "Then we're doing both at the same time, but that's the worst scenario. Hopefully the others, like Yugi and Bakura, and underground somewhere as well, but safe."  
  
Tristan nodded, looking down at the sand.  
  
"Trust Joey to get into that kind of mess," he muttered, jumping down on the ground to see if it would give it. "That idiot."  
  
Taerro sighed as Serenity and Tea came walking toward them, both look disappointed.  
  
"No luck?" he asked, Tea shaking her head in reply.  
  
"Not a trace," she replied sadly, sighing. "I just don't understand it. It's almost as though the targets the Vampire Lord wanted to face have already been sucked under, and now he's closed off all the passageways."  
  
Taerro nodded solemnly.  
  
"You could be right Tea," he agreed, looking grave. "In that case, it's up to them now to defeat the Vampire Lord."  
  
************  
  
The Firewater zombie grinned as he studied Seto's field.  
  
"Very well then," he announced, grinning at the X-Head Cannon. "I order my Burning Beast to attack your X-Head Cannon, destroying it!"  
  
The Burning Beast, equip with the Freezing Beast, lunged and slashed through the machine monster, destroying it and reducing Seto's life points to 3800. Seto and the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave instantly dropped several inches toward the metal plate, still glittering in its sinister way.  
  
"And because of the union effect, one face down card on your side of the field will be destroyed," The zombie said gloatingly as the card Seto had set a few turns back was destroyed and sent to the graveyard.  
  
Mokuba clenched his fists, feeling anxious.  
  
"Come on Seto! Don't lose to this guy!" he cried desperately, not wanting to see his brother defeated AND boiled to death.  
  
Seto gritted his teeth, drawing his card, hoping to rely on the Emerald Dragon to win him the turn, but the Firewater Zombie smirked, the Emerald Dragon suddenly lowering its neck as it shifted into defense position. Seto's eyes widened in horror.  
  
"What?!" he cried, looking baffled. "Why is it switching into defense mode?"  
  
The Firewater Zombie smirked as Priest Seto narrowed his eyes.  
  
"His Aqua Spirit," Priest Seto explained, looking over the female monster. "During the beginning of your turn, she can change the battle position of one of your face up monsters on the field, and the position cannot be changed again during the turn."  
  
The Firewater zombie let out a chilling laugh as he smirked at Seto.  
  
"That's right," he explained smugly. "Meaning your Emerald Dragon won't be able to attack me this turn. So my monsters are safe."  
  
Seto smirked as he placed a card on the back of the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave.  
  
"Oh?" he asked, smiling. "I activate Cost Down, reducing the level eight monster in my hand to a level six, meaning I only need one sacrifice to summon it, and my Emerald Dragon will be that sacrifice for the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"  
  
Seto felt a tingle rush over him as his energy was drained as he summoned the mighty blue-eyed beast. The Blue Eyes flapped its wings in majestic manner as it roared at the zombie. Seto too a breath and then examined the zombie's field.  
  
"True, my Emerald Dragon won't be attacking you this turn," Seto announced. "But my Blue Eyes will."  
  
The Firewater Zombie glared at Seto, looking completely thrown off.  
  
"Well, well, this is unexpected," he muttered, clenching a fist. "But that doesn't mean your pathetic dragon is going to win the game for you. Not at all!"  
  
"I beg to differ," Seto replied, pointing at the Burning Beast. "Go! Blue Eyes! Destroy the Little Chimera!"  
  
The Firewater Zombie growled, flipping over the trap card he'd set during the last turn.  
  
"Not so fast, mortal!" he declared, two cylinders appearing. "I activate Magic Cylinders, which will absorb your attack and fire it right back at you!"  
  
Seto bit his lip angrily as the Blue Eyes's White Lightning was absorbed into one of the cylinders, and then fired back out of the other, right at him! Seto squeezed his eyes shut as the White Lightning hit him directly with a giant explosion.  
  
Mokuba gasped as the smoke started to clear, Seto's life points falling down to a mere 800 in one blow.  
  
"Niisama!" he yelled, running toward the plate, but Priest Seto stopped him.  
  
"Don't, Mokuba," Priest Seto called down to the boy, who turned around, looking extremely anxious.   
  
"But..." Mokuba muttered, looking up at Seto, who was now only a few inches away from the Firewater plate, weakened from the attack. "Niisama," he murmured.  
  
The Firwater Zombie laughed, his cruel laughter ringing throughout the room and in all of their ears.  
  
"Ha! Your mighty beast is your own downfall, you fool!" The Firewater zombie called, grinning. "You're down to a mere 800 life points, and you haven't the strength to summon another monster next turn. You're finished."  
  
Mokuba clenched his fists in anger, his gray eyes filling with tears.  
  
"Shut up!" he yelled in anger at the zombie, who raised an eyebrow, slightly taken back. "Seto is one of the best duelists in the world! He's not going to lose to you, you jerk! Just watch!"  
  
The Firewater zombie smirked, watching Seto as he staggered forward slightly, looking weary as he set another card face down.  
  
"Your...move," he panted, glaring at the Firewater Zombie.  
  
************  
  
Meanwhile, in a very dark room in the maze, a small black bridge extended over a pit of green flames to a seat where the Vampire Lord himself was watching his victims run through a small vision in the flames.  
  
"Ah...three victims for the Firewater Zombie, and a Millennium Rod, puzzle, and ring's powers for me," he sighed, licking his sharp fangs. "Not to mention all the spirit energy I can absorb from those fools."  
  
His yellow eyes glinting maliciously, he rose from his chair, his cape flapping behind him as he marched forward, toward the corridors of his underground labyrinth.  
  
"Now, it is time to greet my guests, and secure my reign over Egypt, once an for all!" he declared, grinning evilly, walking off into the darkness, ready to confront any survivors that managed to reach him.  
  
************  
  
End of Chapter 13  
  
^_^ REVIEW!  
  
"And next chapter up soon!"  
  
BTW, to anyone who was wondering, the duel should wrap itself up in the next chapter. XD This has been a long one. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen: In Hot Water

Chapter Fourteen: In Hot Water  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing, and thanks again for card help from Alan. And sorry this took so long, again. _ My sister has been using the DVD player in our room a lot lately, and I can't write with Rurouni Kenshin going on behind my back.  
  
"--; She keeps turning around to watch."  
  
^-^;;; Ehe, anyway! I've gotten a chance to write.  
  
"And...(drum-roll, please) Chapter Fourteen!"  
  
*************  
  
Chapter Fourteen: In Hot Water  
  
The Firewater zombie smirked as he picked his next card, enjoying looking down at Seto, who was mere inches from the Firewater plate below. Mokuba's eyes were full of worry as the zombie examined his hand.  
  
"I'll switch Aqua Spirit into defense mode for the time being," he announced, looking at his hand. "And then I'll special summon another Burning Beast with Frontline Base's special effect. THEN I'll normal summon my last Freezing Beast."  
  
Two more monsters appeared on the Firewater Zombie's field, both looking poised for attack.  
  
"And just like last time, I'll equip Freezing Beast onto Burning Beast to activate the special ability of Freezing Beast," The Firewater Zombie announced, smiling his yellow-toothed smile. "Then I'll activate Confiscation, taking away 1000 of my life points to discard a card in your hand."  
  
Seto narrowed his eyes and showed the zombie his two cards. The Firewater Zombie smirked.  
  
"I'll discard the four-starred monster, since the other one you have requires a sacrifice, so you won't be summoning IT anytime soon," he announced, moving down a foot as his life points fell to 2400.  
  
Mokuba clenched his fists.  
  
"That's not fair!" he cried, looking at the field. "The Firewater Zombie has six monsters on the field now, and the limit is five!" he cried, looking up at Priest Seto, who nodded.  
  
"Normally the limit is five, but since both Freezing Beasts are equip to the Burning Beasts, it only counts as if there were four monsters on the field, so it's legal, unfortunately," he sighed, looking at Seto's side of the field. "But don't worry, your brother has his Blue Eyes White Dragon out. Powerful as the Burning Beasts are, they can't break through the Blue Eyes."  
  
Mokuba nodded, feeling uneasy.  
  
"Come on, niisama!" he cheered mentally.  
  
"Too true," The Firewater zombie said to Priest Seto, looking over at Seto. "I play a card face down and end my turn. Your move, mortal."  
  
Seto gritted his teeth and picked his card. Something about that facedown card was making him nervous, and the entire duel, and all three of their lives, depended on the outcome of these next turns.  
  
*************  
  
"Uh-oh!" Joey cried, looking behind him. "I think there's another zombie on our tail!"  
  
Pearl gulped, turning around, only to come face to face with one of the rotting creatures. She shrieked as Amber grabbed her hand and began running after Joey and Duke.  
  
"Run!" Duke cried, taking a sharp turn up a sloping ground. "Maybe the slope will slow them down!"  
  
Amber gritted her teeth as she tried to pull Pearl along as well as the two headed up the steep slope.  
  
"Yeah, if it doesn't slow us down first!" she called, pulling Pearl in front of her as Duke and Joey reached a piece of flat ground up at the top of the slope. "Grab Duke's hand!" Amber yelled at Pearl, who obeyed, Duke pulling her up to the dusty platform.  
  
"Hurry, Amber!" Duke cried, reaching out his hand again to help her up, the zombies already in hot pursuit.  
  
Amber grasped Duke's hand and the black-haired boy pulled her up to safety just before the zombies were able to grab her ankles from behind. Panting, Amber and the others stood up, looking down and realizing that the zombies couldn't make it up the slope.  
  
"Well, that'll keep us safe for now," Joey sighed, looking worn out. "Sheesh! This place is just crawling with those zombies."  
  
Amber nodded, looking exhausted as well.  
  
"But at least we're going uphill now," Duke commented, looking at the slope. "That could mean we're on our way to the exit!"  
  
Joey grinned.  
  
"Oh yeah! That's good!" he cried, running ahead down the path. "Come on! The sooner we get out of this dust hole, the better!"  
  
The others nodded in agreement, heading down the narrow passageway.  
  
*************  
  
"I activate Pot of Greed," Seto announced, drawing two more cards from his deck, the zombie looking rather bored.  
  
Seto looked down at his hand, smiling.  
  
"Looks like YOU'RE the one who's made the mistake this time," he announced, grinning. "You're going down in a combination attack."  
  
The Firewater Zombie smirked.  
  
"Just try attacking me," he huffed, looking down at his facedown card. "You're not going to like the results, I can assure you."  
  
Seto laughed, playing a card on the back of the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave's back.  
  
"If you're relying on that facedown card to win you the game, I suggest you try getting a new strategy," he announced, a fiery dragon appearing behind him. "I activate Wingbeat of a Giant Dragon! I return one level seven or higher dragon to my hand and in exchange, I can destroy all the magic and trap cards on the field."  
  
The Firewater Zombie's smirk suddenly vanished, and the rotting beast now looked frightened as both his Freezing Beasts and his set card were destroyed. The Blue Eyes White Dragon, too, disappeared due to the card's effect.  
  
The Firewater zombie nervously looked at his Little Chimera, which was wide open for an attack with only 1050 attack power.  
  
"Then I activate Monster Reborn, reviving the monster you discarded from my hand last turn, Lesser Dragon!" Seto declared, a dragon monster with only 1200 attack power appearing on the field.  
  
The Firewater Zombie raised an eyebrow as Seto placed his last card on the field, draining away more of his spirit energy.  
  
"And lastly, I sacrifice the Lesser Dragon to summon Jade Neice Dragon in attack mode!" he declared, a green dragon, much like the Emerald Dragon, appearing in front of him, his attack, like Emerald Dragon's, 2400/1400.  
  
The Firewater Zombie gulped, looking at his monster.  
  
"I won't lose this turn, though," he reminded Seto. "I can only lose 1350 from an attack on Little Chimera, and that isn't going to wipe me out."  
  
Seto laughed as Jade Neice attacked Little Chimera, reducing the Firewater Zombie to 1050.  
  
"The special ability of Jade Neice dragon is that if it destroys a monster, it can attack again during that turn. And my next target is your weakened Burning Beast," Seto explained, grinning.  
  
He pointed at the molten monster, whose attack power had gone back to its original 1500 now that Little Chimera was gone. The Firewater Zombie's eyes bulged as Jade Neice launched another attack, blasting away one of his monsters, and reducing his life points to zero.  
  
"Great, niisama!" Mokuba cried happily, punching his fist into the air.   
  
  
  
Priest Seto smiled, impressed with the strategy as the Firewater Zombie began to go down toward the Firewater Plate, slowly. Angrily, the zombie hissed, muttering some inaudible words and the Firewater plate suddenly ceasing to move, and the zombie landed, unharmed, on the surface.  
  
"Cheater!" Mokuba yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the Firewater Zombie as the Dragon Dwelling in the Cave disappeared overhead. "You lied!"  
  
The Firwater Zombie smirked, cracking his knuckles.  
  
"It doesn't matter. I followed through on everything I promised, but since I knew the spell, falling to the Firewater plate was of no worry to me," he replied, looking up to where Seto had been, only to see that the boy was gone.   
  
"And now you're going to be my dinner. But...where did he go...?" The Firewater Zombie inquired curiously, confused.  
  
Suddenly, from behind him, the heavy top of the Millennium Rod swung down and hit the zombie on the head, knocking him out and falling to the floor with a heavy thud against the metal.  
  
"Yes, it does matter," Seto replied with a grin, Mokuba running over to him with a grin on his face.  
  
  
  
"You showed him!" Mokuba declared, smiling, Seto nodding in reply, Priest Seto looking through the dark door on the other side of the room.  
  
"Something tells me, though, that the REAL enemy is just ahead," The priest replied darkly, narrowing his eyes.  
  
*************  
  
  
  
"Up ahead!" Yugi called, pointing toward a green light in the distance. "I think I see something!"  
  
Yami nodded, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Yes, I can feel the dark energy we've been sensing growing stronger with each step we take," he announced, feeling anxious. "It seems we're closing in on the Vampire's location."  
  
Bakura gulped, reluctantly putting the Millennium Ring around his neck, knowing its powers might be useful if they were to confront this spirit-stealing being.  
  
*************  
  
Pearl narrowed her eyes, looking to the side of her as she, Duke, Amber, and Joey entered a large, dark room, a pit of green flames surrounding either side of a narrow bridge that seemed to lead to a dark platform of some sort.  
  
"What the...?" she murmured, looking to the side of her, where she could make out two figures in the darkness, walking alongside her. "Amber! Duke! It's more zombies!" she screamed, pointing toward the two figures, both of whom turned to face them.  
  
"Isn't that Pearl's voice?" Came a very familiar-sounding boy, who walked forward cautiously.  
  
"Perhaps..." Came another familiar one, and Amber and Duke ran forward, making out clearly now the outlines of Seto and Mokuba walking toward them.  
  
"Kaiba!" Joey cried, looking astonished. "How'd you guys get here?! And what the heck happened to you? You look like you ran into those zombies a few too many times."  
  
Mokuba sighed, as did Seto, who merely narrowed his eyes.  
  
  
  
"You could say that," he replied calmly, the Millennium Rod that he'd been holding suddenly lighting up brightly, illuminating the area.  
  
From behind them, two more bright lights lit up, and Yugi and Bakura, both of their Millennium Items lighting the way for them as they came up to the small group that had gathered there. Priest Seto raised his eyebrows, realizing that Yami was there as well, looking around suspiciously.  
  
"You too, Yugi? Bakura?!" Joey cried, slapping his forehead. "How come we never ran into you guys before?! We ran into every other creepy-looking zombie in the whole house but never once saw you guys!"  
  
Yugi shrugged, looking around suspiciously, feeling an ominous force coming from over the end of the bridge.  
  
"I...don't know," he murmured, his attention divided. "But I have a feeling that we're all together now. All of us that fell down here, at least."  
  
Yami nodded from behind him.  
  
"Yes, these were all the ones that were missing," he replied, scanning the group. "But...I sense another presence here as well."  
  
Priest Seto nodded.  
  
"It's coming from...across that bridge..." he murmured, narrowing his eyes.  
  
Yami nodded.  
  
"Ah," he agreed, watching closely as suddenly, a dark figure came into view from across the bridge, a smirk on his pale face and his pale fingers playing with a shining medallion around his neck.  
  
"The Vampire Lord!" Mokuba cried, his eyes widening.  
  
Joey gaped for a moment before pulling himself together again. This guy used to be a pushover, so he couldn't be THAT much stronger now, could he?  
  
"All right, Vampire-dude!" he yelled at the Vampire Lord, trying to sound tough. "Just surrender, and we MIGHT let you go away in one piece!"  
  
Seto rolled his eyes, holding his Millennium Rod out in front of him, like a shield almost.  
  
"Joey, he has an army of zombies at his command," Yugi hissed at his friend, narrowing his eyes at the vampire who was calmly walking forward, toward the bridge. "He's not going to just surrender to us."  
  
Bakura nodded, his Millennium Ring glowing brightly around his neck.  
  
"That's right, Joey," he agreed. "We're going to have to fight our way out of this one."  
  
*************  
  
End of Chapter Fourteen  
  
^_^!! Review!  
  
"And next chapter HOPEFULLY up tomorrow. ^_~" 


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Between Victory and Def...

Chapter Fifteen: Between Victory and Defeat  
  
Notes: ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!  
  
"And good old chapter fifteen is coming your way!"  
  
*************  
  
Chapter Fifteen: Between Victory and Defeat  
  
Amber sighed, realizing she only had a few marbles left.  
  
"Duke," she hissed at the black-haired boy, who raised an eyebrow. "Get the rest of your dice together. They may not be able to hurt him, but we might be able to use them as a distraction to give the others an edge."  
  
Duke nodded, scooping of the few remaining dice left and clenching them in his fist. Pearl quivered, her pearl beginning to shine again, differently this time. It glowed a pale white, unlike before, when it had been shining brightly, for an unknown reason.  
  
"You intend to fight me?" The Vampire Lord hissed, raising an eyebrow. "I'm afraid THAT is going to be a futile battle, my friends, for I am by far the most powerful here, and your pathetic attempts to defeat me can't stop me."  
  
Priest Seto narrowed his eyes, looking down at the Millennium Rod. If the Vampire Lord were weak enough, Seto could use the Millennium Rod's powers to seal the half-human, half-ka into a piece of stone, preventing it from coming out unless summoned.  
  
But...  
  
His reincarnate was already weakened from the duel against the Firewater Zombie, and also had no idea as to how to seal a Ka. This was going to be a difficult battle, that was for sure.  
  
"Our "pathetic attempts" defeated you once, and they can surely defeat you again," Priest Seto snapped in reply, Yami nodding.  
  
Even if the Pharaoh didn't remember the battle that he had fought against this evil, knowing that they had triumphed gave Yami a little bit more confidence in himself.  
  
"Kuribo!" Yami called, Kuribo appearing beside its master, squeaking eagerly.  
  
"White Dragon!" Priest Seto called, the White Dragon appearing behind him, flapping its mighty wings and letting out a roar so powerful that dust fell from the ceilings.  
  
"Yai!" Joey cried, jumping as the White Dragon appeared.  
  
Amber narrowed her eyes, stepping back a little. Duke followed her lead and the two neatly hid themselves in the shadows, waiting for an appropriate moment to strike. Joey gulped and stepped back a little too, attempting to pull Pearl back with him, but the little girl pulled her arm out of his reach.  
  
"I'm fighting too, Joey," she said firmly, glaring at him. "He stole my pearl's power, and he's not going to get away with it!"  
  
Joey nervously glanced over at Yugi, Seto, and Bakura, all of whose Millennium Items were glowing brightly. He saw Kuribo and the White Dragon floating overhead, and although he couldn't see them, Priest Seto and Yami were ready to battle as well. Mokuba turned and stepped back a few paces to where Joey was, trying to figure out someway he could help, if he needed to.  
  
"ATTACK!" Priest Seto declared, narrowing his eyes as he ordered his dragon forward.  
  
The Vampire Lord laughed a hair-raising cackle and threw off his coat as the White Dragon lunged for him. The Vampire Lord raised up his hand and a blue substance suddenly surrounded the White Dragon.  
  
"Thanks for the energy," The Vampire Lord hissed, the spiritual energy of the White Dragon, and Priest Seto for that matter, since the White Dragon was part of him, draining away and into the Vampire Lord.  
  
"Go!" Yami cried, Kuribo bouncing over to the Vampire Lord, multiplying by the hundreds as Yugi activated the power of the Multiply magic card to aid his friend. "Attack!"  
  
The Vampire Lord's attention swayed from draining the White Dragon's energies to taking the energies from the hundred Kuribos, only the original escaping the blue glow that was overtaking the others.  
  
"Kuri! Kuri!" The Kuribos cried, as, quickly, their energies were drained away and a blank look came over them.  
  
The Vampire Lord grinned as, to everyone's surprise, the Kuribos suddenly turned around, glaring at their friends with blank eyes, prepared to attack. Joey raised an eyebrow, turning to Yugi, who gasped.  
  
"Oh no!" Bakura cried.  
  
"The Kuribos' energies were completely drained away, meaning they've all become the Vampire Lord's slaves now!" Yugi gulped, the Millennium Puzzle lighting up brightly as the spiky-haired boy tried to concoct a plan.  
  
"We have to destroy them before the self-destruct, destroying us with them," Priest Seto called down to the others, the White Dragon attacking several Kuribos with its lightning attack.  
  
"Blue Eyes!" Seto declared, giving up more of his energy to summon a Blue Eyes White Dragon, who immediately began to aid the White Dragon in attacking the Kuribos at a distance.  
  
"Freeze!" Pearl declared, glaring at a bunch of Kuribos who were nearing Duke and Amber, the furry monsters glazing over in a sheet of ice and falling into the sinister green flames below.  
  
"Yami, we've got to do something!" Yugi cried up to his partner as a swarm of Kuribos approached them.  
  
"The other Yugi!" Bakura suddenly yelled, narrowing his eyes. "Call back your Ka, now!"  
  
Yami raised an eyebrow, surprised at Bakura's stern tone, but he obeyed, curious as to what the white-haired boy had planned.  
  
"I activate the power of Infinite Dismissal!" Bakura called out, the ring glowing brightly and a huge vortex of wind appearing in the room, the Kuribos all being sucked into it one by one.  
  
Yugi grinned, looking over at Bakura gratefully.  
  
"Great thinking, Bakura!" he complimented his friend, who smiled back at him as all of the Kuribos vanished, and the Vampire Lord frowned, irritated.  
  
"Well, we know how to use traps and magic cards, don't we?" he taunted the group, narrowing his eyes at them. "But be as that may, you still don't stand a chance."  
  
The glow around Bakura's Millennium Ring died down as the power of Infinite Dismissal died away, and Yami's Kuribo reappeared beside its master once again.  
  
"Kuri!" It cried diligently.  
  
Yugi glanced over at Duke and Amber, both of whom had their dice and marbles ready. At first, the boy frowned.  
  
"They've got to know that if our monster attacks are just negated by his energy sucking, their dice and marbles won't hurt him," Yugi thought to himself, when suddenly, it hit him what Duke and Amber were aiming to do.  
  
Yugi smiled as he caught their eye and nodded.  
  
"Now!" Amber hissed, she and Duke taking aim and throwing their dice and marbles across the green flames and over to the side of the platform, their clinks and clunks echoing through the room.  
  
The Vampire Lord turned sharply to see what had caused the noise, and as he turned, the White Dragon, the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and a Dark Magician that Yugi had summoned blasted their attacks toward him.  
  
The Vampire Lord narrowed his eyes and ducked both of the dragon's attacks, but was hit head-on by the Dark Magician's magical attack and he yelled as he was weakened by it.  
  
"Direct hit!" Yugi cheered, clenching a fist as he grinned, Yami watching the Vampire Lord closely.  
  
"You..." The Vampire Lord hissed at Duke and Amber, both of whom were backing up. "Die!"  
  
Two powerful beams of blue light shot out from the Vampire Lord's medallion, aimed at Amber and Duke. The two hurried away from the spot as the two beams collided and hit the ground right in front of them, causing a major explosion which rose dust and bits of stone and dirt everywhere, obscuring the two from sight.  
  
"Duke! Amber!" Joey called, frantically waving away the dust to find his two friends. "Where are you guys?"  
  
"Amber! Duke!" Pearl shrieked, outraged. "You evil person!" she yelled at the Vampire Lord, although he couldn't understand her.  
  
A bright white beam shot out of her pearl, aimed at the Vampire in anger, but the man easily dodged, smirking at Pearl, who looked over for some sign of her cousin and Duke in the midst of all the dust.  
  
  
  
"Duke!" Amber cried, her voice ringing through the room, as Pearl and the others made out her vague outline, bending over and shaking Duke's limp figure.  
  
"Duke!" Yugi thought in horror, but Duke winced, sitting up, looking dazed.  
  
"Are you okay, man?" Joey asked, looking down at Duke, slightly worried.  
  
"Never been better..." Duke muttered rubbing his head tenderly, Amber sighing with relief, hugging him quickly.  
  
"Don't EVER scare me like that again!" Amber demanded, sounding angry, but Duke knew her well enough to know she wasn't.  
  
She was worried.  
  
The Vampire Lord glared at the ground of humans, spirits and monsters, slightly weakened from the Dark Magician's attack on him.  
  
"I need more spirit energy," he thought to himself, wrapping his sickly blue glow around the Dark Magician, draining it and Yugi's energy away.  
  
"Ah!" Yugi gasped, falling to his knees, unable to protect himself.  
  
"Blue Eyes attack!" Seto declared, the White Dragon and the Blue Eyes both launching attacks at the Vampire Lord.  
  
"Dark Necrofear attack!" Bakura cried, using up more of his energy to summon the dark fiend monster, who also launched a deadly attack at the Vampire Lord.  
  
The Vampire Lord's eye widened as he broke the connection between the Dark Magician and he and tried to dodge the attacks, but ended up being hit head on by both of the dragon's attacks.  
  
Yami smiled, Kuribo twittering around near Duke and Amber and Joey.  
  
"I see," he said aloud, watching the Vampire Lord struggle to his feet, looking enraged. "The way to defeat him is through attacking together!"  
  
Priest Seto nodded, looking down at Seto and the Millennium Rod.  
  
"Seto Kaiba, you have to use the ability of the Millennium Rod soon and trap the Vampire Lord's spirit," he called down to him, the rod glinting from the green glow of the fire below. "Or else we may never get another chance."  
  
Angrily, the Vampire Lord shot out several more beams of blue light the ground exploded every two feet, sending huge chunks of rock and stone flying around. Pearl cried out as a beam headed straight toward her, too stunned by the bright light to do anything about it as a small figure ran by and knocked her to the ground, the beam crashing into the wall behind them.  
  
"What the...?!" Pearl cried, looking up to see Mokuba on top of her, getting back to his feet. "You...save me..." she murmured in Japanese, Mokuba blushing slightly before looking up to see what had happened to the others.  
  
"Yugi!" Yami cried, searching frantically through the dust for his partner.  
  
All of the monsters, with the exception of the two Ka, Kuribo and the White Dragon, had vanished due to lack of energy, and Bakura was in the center of the bridge, looking nervously around as the dust cleared. Yami spotted Yugi struggling to his feet, having been thrown up against the wall during the explosions.  
  
His vision swam as he looked up and saw Yami coming toward him.  
  
  
  
"Yugi!" he called, Yugi fainting before he could reach him.  
  
Narrowing his eyes, the Pharaoh's spirit took over Yugi's body and stood up, despite his injuries. He was able to tolerate it better than Yugi could. Priest Seto spotted Seto, wincing as he got to his feet.  
  
"Now!" Priest Seto called down to him, hoping that his reincarnate would be able to pull it off.  
  
"Lady of Faith," Bakura murmured softly, using the last bit of his energy to summon a monster, a weak one, but one nevertheless.  
  
"Celtic Guardian!" Yami declared, using his energy to summon the warrior, who attacked the Vampire Lord along with the Lady of Faith. "Attack him, now!"  
  
The Vampire sneered as he drained the Lady of Faith of her energies, causing Bakura to collapse on the floor, but the Celtic Guardian managed to slash at the Vampire Lord, draining him of part of his energy.  
  
Seto, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes as he held out the rod, concentrating every part of himself toward the rod and the Vampire Lord. The rod glowed brightly as he held it, his energies draining away as he activated one of its abilities. The Vampire Lord stopped in his tracks, seized by the power of the rod.  
  
"Seal!" Seto yelled, the whole of the Vampire Lord suddenly being thrown up against the wall, disappearing into a blank piece of the stonework.  
  
Dust shook off the wall as it shook violently for a moment, as everyone who was still conscious watched with bated breath. Pearl narrowed her eyes, a thick sheet of ice appearing over the piece of stone. Sighing, she fell to her knees, next to a shocked Amber and Duke. Then, the carved image of the Vampire Lord suddenly appeared on the iced-tablet, his expression mixed with shock and disbelief.  
  
Priest Seto grinned, looking down at Seto, almost shocked that he had managed to do it.  
  
"The Vampire Lord has been sealed!" he called down to the others, Mokuba sprinting over to his older brother.  
  
"Niisama!" he cried happily, hugging him tightly, grinning, glad he was okay, and glad they had stopped the Vampire Lord. "You did it!"  
  
Yami sighed, still possessing Yugi's body.  
  
"Thank goodness," Yami murmured, looking around at the others.  
  
Bakura was still sprawled on the floor on the bridge, and Amber was supporting Pearl, who seemed to have overexerted herself while freezing the stone tablet. Joey gaped at the tablet, almost in disbelief.  
  
Seto smiled softly, closing his eyes and slumping down to the ground, exhausted like he'd never been before. He saw Mokuba's smiling face for a fleeting moment before everything went black.  
  
***********  
  
End of Chapter 15  
  
^_^ Last chapter up soon!   
  
"REVIEW! REVIEW!" ^_~! 


	16. Chapter Sixteen: The Door

Chapter Sixteen: The Door  
  
Notes: ^_^ Here we are with the final chapter of The Strike of the Vampire Lord!  
  
"Thanks for reviewing, and our next story will be up tomorrow, as always. ^_~ The pending title is "Trial of Spirit" but we're not sure if it's going to stay that way. XD The infamous "hint" was actually in the last story, since a certain villain-ness needs to come out into the open."  
  
SO! Last chapter, here we come!  
  
*************  
  
Chapter Sixteen: The Door  
  
It was dark, but the darkness was comforting as Seto slowly came to his senses. He was definitely not in the dank underground of the desert, he knew that for sure, but other than that, he had no clue where he could be. The Vampire Lord had been sealed, yes, that was his last memory. Then, he fell down and Mokuba was next to him...  
  
Slowly, Seto opened his eyes to see the dark ceiling of the Gravewatcher's home looming above him. They were above ground again, he thought to himself, trying to raise himself up, but he realized that all his muscles felt too stiff and tired.  
  
"Niisama!"  
  
Seto blinked, confused and looked next to him to see Mokuba sitting on his own bed across from Seto's, watching his brother anxiously.  
  
"You're awake!" he cried, grinning. "I was so worried about you..."  
  
Priest Seto, who had been floating around near the ceiling looked down at the sound of Mokuba's voice, smiling to himself.  
  
"What...happened?" Seto asked, pulling himself upright into a sitting position.  
  
"You used the sealing ability of the Millennium Rod," Priest Seto put in, Seto looking up at him. "With your sealing ability and the young girl's ice, I think that the Vampire Lord has been sealed for a very long time. Unfortunately, tapping into some powers of the Millennium Rod prove to be more draining than others."  
  
Seto nodded, everything sinking in at last.  
  
"Yes, I see," he replied, thinking to himself.  
  
Mokuba smiled, walking over and sitting on the end of his brother's bed, cross-legged.  
  
"I'm glad you're okay, niisama," he said softly, looking down at the bed sheets. "I was worried for a little bit."  
  
Seto smiled and put his hand on his brother's shoulder, causing Mokuba to look up.  
  
"It's okay, Mokuba," he replied.  
  
Mokuba smiled up at Seto.  
  
Priest Seto smiled and floated out of the room, wanting to give the two brothers some time to themselves. Now that he knew for certain that Seto Kaiba was all right too, he had something important he needed to do.  
  
************  
  
Bakura yawned and sat up in bed, feeling groggy. Looking to the bed beside him, he saw that Yugi was sound asleep. Blinking, the boy looked around for Yami, but the spirit of the Pharaoh was nowhere to be found.  
  
  
  
"We...we won," Bakura said aloud in disbelief, almost.  
  
"That's right," Came a familiar voice from the doorway, and Bakura looked up to see Taerro standing there, smiling. "You guys did a great job. I saw the stone tablet for a second when we came down to get you guys."  
  
Bakura gestured for Taerro to come in as he blinked, confused.  
  
"You guys found a way in?" he asked, curiously.  
  
Taerro nodded, sitting down on the end of Bakura's bed.  
  
"Yeah, after a bit, Tristan ended up falling down into one of those magic holes and ended up in the middle of the black platform. We lowered down a rope and got everyone out once we figured out what had happened, but I couldn't resist going down there and seeing the tablet for myself," he replied, looking down at the ground.  
  
  
  
Bakura nodded.  
  
"Thanks," he replied, smiling, glad the Vampire Lord was gone for good.  
  
There was a long pause between the two, and then Taerro spoke up again, his voice soft and apologetic.  
  
"I'm sorry," he sighed, his eyes looking sadly down at the ground.  
  
Bakura tilted his head, completely surprised but the sudden twist of conversation.  
  
"Sorry? For what, Taerro?" he asked, leaning toward the black-haired boy.  
  
"Well," Taerro sighed, facing Bakura. "This is really all my fault. I mean, if I had only been more careful in that antique shop last spring, I wouldn't have dropped it and released his spirit. Think of all the trouble it's caused for everyone: Like at the amusement park, at the beach, stealing the medallion, when he ended up in Egypt and stole Pearl's powers, and now this."  
  
Bakura smiled reassuringly.  
  
"Taerro, I know exactly how you feel," he replied honestly, Taerro looking up at Bakura in surprise. "The evil spirit of the Millennium Ring," he replied, looking over at the ring, which was sitting on the table beside his bed. "Has caused more trouble than I can recall, or want to, and it's partially my fault. But I never wanted him to do any of that, and you never wanted the Vampire Lord to do any of what he did. We were against them and fought against them, and that's what matters."  
  
"Besides, everything's okay now," Bakura added, Taerro nodding, looking grateful.  
  
"Thanks Bakura," Taerro replied, smiling.  
  
Bakura scratched his cheek.  
  
"No worries, Taerro," he replied happily.  
  
*************  
  
Yami blinked as he followed behind Priest Seto, who was taking the Pharaoh deep into the desert.  
  
"So tell me, priest," Yami asked as the two approached a stone temple in the middle of the desert. "What is it that you want to show me?"  
  
Priest Seto walked through the stone wall of the temple, followed by Yami, who still looked rather confused, but intrigued.  
  
"I thought that perhaps by seeing something that brought back memories to me might aid you in bringing back some memories of your life, Pharaoh," Priest Seto explained, gesturing to the tombs. "These are our...tombs."  
  
Yami bent down to look at them, and surprisingly enough, he seemed to be able to understand what one of them said, even though it was written in hieroglyphs.  
  
"Nameless Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty..." he murmured, narrowing his purple eyes as he thought to himself. "Died in a battle against evil."  
  
Slowly, he turned to face Priest Seto.  
  
"This is my tomb," he said, looking as though he'd discovered something. "I can feel it. However, it seems empty. I can't sense anything beneath it."  
  
Priest Seto nodded.  
  
  
  
"When you died, your body disappeared," he explained, not knowing how he would explain HOW he had seen this, since he had already been dead by that point. "You were sealed into the puzzle, like Bakura."  
  
Priest Seto bit down on his lip, knowing Bastet had forbidden him to tell Yami anything about his memory.  
  
~It is his destiny to find his memory in his own way...~  
  
"Yes?" Yami asked, looking interested, watching the priest carefully.  
  
Priest Seto sighed.  
  
"I apologize, Pharaoh," he replied, turning away. "Bastet forbade me to say anything more about your lost memory. She said you must discover it on your own. But..."  
  
Priest Seto turned to face Yami again.  
  
"I thought that taking you here might help you," he explained.  
  
Yami nodded slowly, looking down at his empty tomb. Nameless. Nameless. Why? What had happened to make him the NAMELESS Pharaoh? Why did the people suddenly forget him, and his name wiped out of history? And most importantly, why did he himself not remember a thing?  
  
Although these questions buzzed around in the Pharaoh's mind, he felt somehow that coming here had opened something up; brought his memories into a new perspective.  
  
"Coming here was not a waste, priest," he replied at last, smiling vaguely down at his tomb. "I feel as though my memories are hidden somewhere within me, within one of those doors in my soul room, and since I've come here, it is as if the door to my memories has opened an inch or so."  
  
Priest Seto's eyes lit up. It HAD jarred some memories after all. Yami clenched his fists, determined.  
  
"And now, I must find the remaining Millennium Items and continue searching for my memories so that someday, I'll be complete again," he said in a firm voice. "Someday."  
  
Priest Seto nodded, knowing he'd always be willing to help.  
  
*************  
  
A few days later, the gang stood outside the Ishtar's home, three cabs waiting behind them to take them home once more. Yugi blushed as Ishizu smiled at him, wanting to thank them.  
  
"Thank you for everything you did to protect us all, Pharaoh," she said, nodding toward Yami. "And you too, Yugi. And all of you."  
  
  
  
Priest Seto frowned, recalling what Ishizu had said to him a few nights before, in the dark room.  
  
~Why are you here? You are not bound to anyone or thing...~  
  
Having no ties to anything made it a bit difficult to exactly say WHY he was there, but he felt that for some reason, he WAS tied to someone, or something, in a small way. He'd just have to figure out what, and how.  
  
"No problem!" Joey replied confidently, winking at the Ishtars. "Besides, we ought to be thanking you for getting us out of that hole."  
  
Bakura nodded.  
  
"Yes, thank you very much," he replied, looking over at Mr. Taylor, who was talking to Rishido about something, taking notes.  
  
"Come back and visit us soon," Malik added with a smile as Pearl shoved her suitcase into the backseat of one of the cabs. "Although, I'm sure we will meet up again soon."  
  
Yugi nodded.  
  
"True," he replied.  
  
Tea frowned, feeling as though something were being left out, although everything appeared to have been wrapped up. The Vampire Lord was sealed, the zombies had disappeared, and everyone was safe...  
  
"Shadi!" Tea suddenly cried, looking around at the others. "Where did Shadi ever go?"  
  
Ishizu frowned, looking at Tea curiously.  
  
"I don't know," she murmured in reply, thinking. "I do hope he is alright, but I have a feeling that he is dealing with something important."  
  
  
  
Tristan shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure he's fine," he replied, bored. "He always seems to show up at the right moments anyway. Like when he caught you and I on the Battle Ship after we'd been..."  
  
Tristan trailed off, embarrassed, and was definitely not going to mention WHY they were fighting, especially not right in front of Serenity. Duke was just as glad, not wanting Amber to get the wrong idea about him. After all, that had taken place BEFORE he'd met her anyway.  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow.  
  
"After you'd been what?" he asked suspiciously, leaning over toward Tristan, who turned red.  
  
"After we'd slipped and nearly fallen off the blimp!" Tristan exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him.  
  
Serenity's eyes grew wide.  
  
"You nearly fell off of a blimp, Tristan?" she asked, looking horrified. "I'm glad Shadi showed up then!"  
  
Tristan rubbed the back of his neck, blushing at Serenity's concern. Duke rolled his eyes and turned back to Amber, who was fiddling with her amber pendant.  
  
"Well, I guess Pearl's going to have to come back to Japan with us for a little while," Amber said in a playful voice, prodding her younger cousin, who blinked.  
  
"I...I do?!" she cried in disbelief, a big grin spreading over her face. "YAY!" she cried, jumping up and down in excitement. "All right!"  
  
Duke chuckled as Joey shook his head in irritation.  
  
"Thank goodness this is only over winter break," he muttered. "Amber is bad enough. We don't need Pearl around too."  
  
Duke nudged Joey, glaring at him, but Amber winked.  
  
  
  
"Oh well!" she replied, she, Tea, Serenity, and Pearl getting into the backseat of one of the cabs. "See you at the airport guys!"  
  
The four girls waved as their cab took off back toward the airport, the boys waving as they packed their things into the other two cabs. Seto sighed, stowing the Millennium Rod in his briefcase and snapping it shut before putting it under the seat in the car.  
  
"Ready to go home?" he asked, looking down at Mokuba, who was flipping through a brochure on Egypt that one of the cab drivers had given him.  
  
Mokuba looked up and nodded, grinning.  
  
"Yep," he replied, giving his brother a quick hug before getting in the car himself.  
  
"Me too," Seto replied, looking at the desert one more time. "I've had enough adventures in Egypt for a while."  
  
Priest Seto chuckled, shaking his head as Yami finished up talking to Ishizu and headed toward where Yugi was getting in one of the cars.  
  
Priest Seto nodded politely to acknowledge Ishizu as Seto got into the car next to Mokuba, Taerro and Bakura double-buckling beside them to fill up the rest of the room in the car. Squished as he was, Taerro waved at Malik, Ishizu, and Rishido as Tristan, Mr. Taylor, Yugi, and Joey got into the last cab, Yugi double-buckling with Joey, making an even tighter squeeze.  
  
Yami and Priest Seto were both fortunate since neither took up any room in the cars. Yugi waved at Ishizu as the cars took off toward the airport once again.  
  
"Bye Ishizu! Bye Malik! Bye Rishido!" Yugi called cheerfully as the three Egyptians grew smaller and smaller until they were only specks on the horizon.  
  
Yugi turned around and sat down in his seat again, Joey's elbow in his face. He looked up at Yami, who appeared to be deep in thought again. Smiling, Yugi decided to talk to the spirit.  
  
"Yami?" he asked mentally, Yami looking down at his friend. "What did the priest want to show you?"  
  
Yami smiled.  
  
"Just a temple," he replied honestly. "Just a temple."  
  
Yugi nodded.  
  
"I'm glad we've banished the Vampire Lord," he sighed, closing his eyes happily.  
  
Yami nodded in agreement, looking out the window as they flew by the desert sands in the speeding car.  
  
"Ah," he agreed, feeling that their adventures in Egypt were far from over completely. "But I have a feeling that there are many evils still in our path."  
  
Yugi sighed.  
  
"Then let's try not to run into anymore for a while," Yugi replied with a hint of laughter in his voice. "At least not until Christmas Vacation is over."  
  
Yami laughed.  
  
"We'll try Yugi," he replied, still smiling. "We'll try."  
  
*************  
  
END OF STORY!  
  
^_^ WOW! It's done already!  
  
"^_^! REVIEW and let us know how you liked it. And by tomorrow or the next day we should have the start of our new story, "Trial of Spirit" up. ^_^!"  
  
Until then! And thanks for reading. ^-^! 


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